Who’s Surprised Now?

By

Gerry Niskern

Have you started your Christmas shopping? Do you have some foolproof hiding places? You better have stashed the early purchases in a good spot.

My sister and I always enjoyed our dad telling about the toy he received that was already worn out. It seems there had never been any money for Christmas gifts in his family of eight children. When his older sister went to work she was determined things would be different for her two youngest brothers. She bought two little toy motorcycles, wrapped them in red paper and hid them under her bed. Our dad and his brother spied them  while she was at work. They couldn’t resist. They pulled back the red paper to peek at the contents. Then they really couldn’t contain themselves. Each little boy had a motorcycle that you could wind up and it would run all over. They played with the cycles and then wrapped them up again and put them back under the bed. The next day, the temptation was too great. The boys sneaked into her room and played with the wonderful new toys again,  and every day thereafter, until Christmas.   Their excited sister gave them their gifts on Christmas morning, and as they unwrapped them, parts of the worn out little motorcycles fell out of the paper!

Our own children loved to hear their daddy tell about one December when he discovered  a brand new basketball in his parent’s  attic. He spent the next Saturday before Christmas along with a couple of his friends, building a backboard on their carport. They worked all day in the rain, but it was going to be worth it. That night, while his family was seated at the dinner table, a neighbor lady came over to retrieve her Christmas purchases, including the basketball, from their attic. She thanked his mom for hiding them for her!

A friend of mine told me about how her mother always stashed the kids  Christmas toys in a cubbyhole behind their bookcase. Her mother was surprised when she didn’t’ want to go along on the Saturday grocery shopping trip; especially since she was always given a nickel to buy big red balloon. My friend had other plans that day. As soon as her parents left she pulled the bookcase out and looked to see what was hidden there.  Inside a long box was the Betsey Wetsey doll she had longed for.  The temptation was too great. That little baby doll had to be given a bottle immediately.  In fact, she was fed every Saturday up until the day her mother pulled the soaking wet box out, intending to wrap it for Christmas. Betsey couldn’t hold it that long!

One of my fondest memories is of the first Christmas we were married. I had shopped carefully for a sharp McGregor jacket for my groom. Then one day, right before Christmas, he came home with a large box, carried it into the bedroom and closed the door. The house resounded with sounds of clanging and banging as he wrapped his gift for me. All I could think was, ‘those sounds could only be a vacuum cleaner”.  How could he, and on our first Christmas?  What did he think I was, a housewife?

Talk about surprises!  On Christmas morning I unwrapped a Featherweight Singer sewing machine. I loved it