I have never shopped for Christmas on Black Friday. This was an internet adventure that has rendered me speechless, to my husband. I told him I was not going to talk to him anymore. That lasted about half an hour. The day started after I asked him where the Christmas catalogs were. “You didn’t throw them out, DID YOU?” He had. I had another batch in the mailbox. But, on Black Friday, I found that one must move like the wind at gale force. Things on sale go out of stock as soon as you decide to purchase them.

We have four adult children and spouses and a new grandchild. My “children” keep me guessing as to what would please them as a gift from us both for Christmas. I’m not talking big money here, but the answer “I’d like a big bag of sour cherries.” does not do it for me. There’s a mysterious lack of thought going on with them all seemingly forever. If I send I bag of sour cherries to Canada it is going to be held up at the border. Then she has to pay a high tariff on it when it gets into Canada. That makes me sad and makes her mad.

One year, ages ago, Nintendo 64 was a hot gift item. I searched and searched and could not find one for my oldest son, then eight. I broke down and called my mother in tears. I asked her if she and her Bingo buddies could look around for Nintendo 64. It took two weeks. She called me. “I found it! I bought it!” I lavished praise on her. I cried.

On Christmas morning it was wrapped with care and put under the tree. My mother was there for the holiday. I know, I know…Christmas has a lot more meaning to it than any gift. I made sure that our children knew the true meaning of Christmas. Our oldest son was thrilled with the gift and disappeared downstairs in a playroom and almost missed out on dinner. He was quiet when he ate dinner. All adults at the table were exhausted.

I tucked the kids into their beds that night. The day after Christmas is my favorite day of the year. I asked my oldest son: “Did you have a good Christmas honey?” There was almost the sound of crickets chirping. “Well…no,” he said. “I didn’t get Light Bright.” I left his darkened room with a dark mood. I said nothing to my mother. Two weeks before Christmas that year I cleaned the playroom and I crippled myself walking on the pegs from the existing Light Bright. I scooped the pegs up and threw them out. I threw the whole thing out and then vacuumed up the pegs.

I already had high blood pressure, and I took a second medication to bring it down that night. I was a kindergarten teacher at the time and I knew there was a Light Bright in a storage closet. It needed a wipe down, but I brought it home and handed it to my son when he came home from school. I KNOW that he had already forgotten about what he had said to me because he vanished downstairs to play Nintendo 64. I am so happy he became a father this year. I cannot wait until she’s old enough to terrorize him over the holidays.