My wife and I have been married for more than 26 years. To each other.
Over that time the LMM and I have solved the problem of Christmas present anxiety, the problem you have when you aren't sure what to get the other person, even though you know that person very well, because you have already gotten that person pretty much everything that person has ever expressed an interest in.
Our solution has some humor to it. Each of us, for years, would choose things each liked, for ourselves, and then provide said thing to other person, not wrapped. Other person would wrap it and hide it away until the time was right. And both would feign pleasure and surprise at tree-and-present time, Christmas morning.
But that got old. So now the LMM takes it one more step. She buys stuff for herself, and wraps it herself, and then puts it under the tree and opens it herself. I never see it, until Christmas morning.
This year I asked if I could see the jewelry I got her. She said, "No, that will spoil the surprise." To be clear: That's MY surprise. At seeing what I got HER.
And the fact is that I take great pleasure, and am genuinely surprised, on Christmas morning. So, as usual, even though things may sound a little cockeyed at our house, the LMM is right, and all is well.
(I'm pretty sure Shirley will back the LMM up on this, in terms of logic. Right, Shirl?)
Over that time the LMM and I have solved the problem of Christmas present anxiety, the problem you have when you aren't sure what to get the other person, even though you know that person very well, because you have already gotten that person pretty much everything that person has ever expressed an interest in.
Our solution has some humor to it. Each of us, for years, would choose things each liked, for ourselves, and then provide said thing to other person, not wrapped. Other person would wrap it and hide it away until the time was right. And both would feign pleasure and surprise at tree-and-present time, Christmas morning.
But that got old. So now the LMM takes it one more step. She buys stuff for herself, and wraps it herself, and then puts it under the tree and opens it herself. I never see it, until Christmas morning.
This year I asked if I could see the jewelry I got her. She said, "No, that will spoil the surprise." To be clear: That's MY surprise. At seeing what I got HER.
And the fact is that I take great pleasure, and am genuinely surprised, on Christmas morning. So, as usual, even though things may sound a little cockeyed at our house, the LMM is right, and all is well.
(I'm pretty sure Shirley will back the LMM up on this, in terms of logic. Right, Shirl?)
2 comments:
Shirley has actually RETURNED presents she bought for herself! For Realz.
My wife and I have been in the former category for about 5 years. My parents have been in the category you are now in for about 25 years (they've been married for 53 years, so you were right on schedule if not a little early). And yes, my Dad has bought and wrapped for himself. I think that means my wife and I have about 10 more years before we go into gift-giving steady state.
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