Wednesday, December 31, 2008 10:37 AM CST
COLUMN: Let's have dirty dishes and scattered wrapping paper all year long
By PENNY WEAVER, Night News Editor
pweaver@jg-tc.com
I got one of my nieces a florescent pink dog leash for Christmas, and she loved it.
Oh — wait. That sounds wrong. It was a gift for her, but she’ll be using it for her dog, not herself. Although at times putting a leash on a kid can be tempting ... oh, never mind.
Olivia, who’s 4, opened the little package from me carefully, and her face lit up when she saw what it was. Clad in her red sweater, black leotards and dainty black skirt — looking like such a little lady — she leaped into the air and hopped on both feet over and over across the room in quite an unladylike manner.
“Just what I always wanted!!” she burst out excitedly.
See, now, that would be my reaction to lots of gifts I’ve gotten for Christmas. It’s too bad it’s not socially acceptable for a 38-year-old woman to hop across the room like a bunny rabbit bursting with excitement over a present.
Not that that would stop me.
Gifts themselves aren’t my favorite part of Christmas. Giving presents is one of my favorite parts of the traditions around this time of year, and although my friends and family are clever and always get me excellent presents, I enjoy giving gifts the most.
Now, you might like things about Christmas such as pretty light displays, sweets that Grandma makes only once a year, or movies you only get to see in December.
You may enjoy other traditional stuff, like snow and shopping, taking the kids to see Santa, stacking presents under the tree, and all that stuff.
How stereotypical of you.
Personally, I like tired and cranky kids, dirty dishes and piles of ripped up wrapping paper the best.
Sure — you think I’m kidding. Au contraire.
Amid our Christmas gathering over the weekend, my seven nieces and nephews were wound for sound. They were so excited to spend the day together at Grandma’s.
If I had a dime for every time I mustered up my Loud And Serious Voice to say, “There’s no running in Grandma’s house!” or, “Slow down, NOW!”, I could buy gifts for everyone in Coles County.
The crew ranges in age from almost 9 to almost 2. All seven of them played games — from Memory to Hide and Seek — and generally bordered on rowdy until we opened gifts.
Then, of course, they got even more cantankerous.
It was more entertaining than color TV to sit back and watch all the goings-on.
Danny, 9, buzzed his new remote control car up near his sister, Isabel, 6, to about six inches from her rear end, then slowly made it creep up and “gently” run into her. In the midst of gathering letters to spell her name out as she was using string and beads to make a necklace, she calmly turned around, flipped the car upside down, and then turned away without a word as the wheels spun in the air.
Cooper, 6, played Battleship with his mom and admonished her not to cheat by looking over the top of the plastic game holders. Grace, 1 1/2, toddled around getting into whatever anyone else was trying to do.
Olivia opened the umbrella — in the house! (gasp) — that someone got her and marched around the living room with it. Stephanie turned on her new lantern and soon was making a tent with a comforter and a card table, and Tyler, 3, sat on his toy dune buggy and promptly broke it.
They were a rowdy crew — laughing, yelling, crying and generally stirring up havoc. There were moments when they made me glad I don’t have kids.
I loved it.
They were excited just to be together; they were cranky; they were tired; and they were delighted.
If they weren’t tired and cranky, I wouldn’t be 100 percent sure that they had a wonderful time. Gather any family together, and it’s both a blast and a headache, a rare treat and a royal pain.
Another Christmas treat is the dirty dishes.
I like that because it means we all had enough to eat, and probably even more than we needed to eat. It means that all of us and our families are healthy, well-fed, have clothes on our backs and have few, if any, needs that are not being met.
Not everyone is so lucky.
The once-a-year moment of piles of crumpled wrapping paper — I use the Sunday comics to wrap gifts; it’s both quirky and earth-friendly recycling — shows me that all of us are blessed enough not only to be able to afford gifts for each other, but also to actually like each other enough to give gifts.
God originally gave all of us the best gift ever in Jesus Christ — you know, the fella after whom Christmas is named. The least we can do is continue the tradition with gift-giving each year.
But the best gifts I receive from my family and friends, I have to say, are the everyday things. It’s the time they cleaned out my gutters (thanks, Paul), and helped me move (big list of helpers there!), and the time they gave me a ride to work when I needed it, and helped me get my washer and dryer into the basement.
It’s listening to me when I ramble like a fool, or sharing a bottle of wine with me after a stressful week. It’s talking to me on the phone every day, even when I have nothing interesting to say.
Those are the best gifts, and they come every day. I work hard to not take them for granted.
But it is nice to have Christmas to emphasize the best gift of all given to us and also given by us: love.
Let’s spread it around all year! I have some presents for all you readers, too, that’ll last beyond Dec. 25.
For those who enjoy reading my columns, I will write one each week as my gift to you. For those who do not enjoy reading my columns, I will write one each week — and no more — as my gift to you.
You’re welcome.
And, Merry Christmas.
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Mama says wrote on Dec 24, 2008 3:56 AM:
I am recovering from hernia surgery this Christmas. Oh the joy.
I am thankful for good friends during this time and enjoy your writings and reading the paper online (as well as in paperbox). "