I think I was eight years old that Christmas.  What I wanted more than anything else was a wrist watch.  I did not have one, so this would be my first.  Hopefully Santa would bring me the watch.  I hinted to my parents many times that Christmas.  I thought it was a lock. 

We always spend Christmas Eve with my mother’s mother.  We had a nice dinner and then all the children would go into the stairwell and wait for Santa to arrive.  I was there with my siblings and all my cousins.  It was so exciting, everyone whispering and trying to listen for Santa Claus. 

Eventually we heard the rustling and bustling of packages and then we heard the ever popular…HO HO HO!.  How exciting.  Soon our parents opened the stairwell door and out we ran.  Each child found a spot on the living room floor the oldest cousins began handing out the presents. 

A little aside here.  I have an older sister and we are a year apart in age.  We usually received very similar gifts each year for Christmas.

I was so excited I could hardly stand it.  I began opening each package anticipating my coveted watch.  Each present was very nice, but still no watch.  All of a sudden I heard my sister squeal with delight, I looked over and she had opened her present and there it was…her watch.  It was in a square Tim*ex box.

I was now doubly excited…I thought, OOOH, I was going to get my watch.  We always get the same things for Christmas.  I continued opening my presents and I still no watch.  I had one present left and it was in the shape of a flat large envelope.  I was crest-fallen; I knew it couldn’t be my watch because it wasn’t shaped right.  My sister’s watch came in the square box.  At that moment I looked up and saw my Mom watching me intently with a Cheshire cat grin on her face.  I was so mad, I thought what are you smiling about…I didn’t get my watch, how unfair.  She just kept smiling as I began to slowly open my last present.

I ripped off the wrapping paper and sure enough it was one of those padded envelopes.  I opened the end of the envelope and reached inside and pulled out the gift…you guessed it, there was my WATCH!.  I was beyond excited.  I looked at my Mom again and she was so happy.  I said to her “you took it out of the box”.  She just kept smiling.

The best Christmas present, to date, I have ever received…bar none.  Ahhh…daughter of little faith.  Thank you Mom and Happy Mother’s Day!