THE BEST GIFT EVER PART 5

Today's blog entry comes from John Madden, a boyhood friend whom, sadly,  I lost touch with over the years even though we were both teachers in the same school board, John at Henry Carr.

Two recent phone calls have rekindled our friendship, one I won't let slip away again.

The story John shares today reminds me that even the humblest of gifts may bring the most lasting of memories.

My memorable Christmas gift, as strange as it may sound, is……a lump of coal!!!!

The story starts years ago in Willowdale in a different era. I had been teasing my younger sisters and brother that Santa was going to bring them only coal for Christmas. I decided to follow through on my silly threat. I arrived home late that Christmas Eve and hid their gifts that were under the tree. I put them in closets or wherever.

I went to bed, but my three younger siblings were not so sleepy. They got up, instantly knew what had happened and returned their gifts to their rightful place under the tree. Apparently, they had an easy time finding their gifts. My parents knew what was happening, but wisely stayed in bed entertaining themselves with dark thoughts about me, the culprit responsible for disturbing their sleep. Christmas morning my younger siblings were delighted to inform me my plan had failed.

Fast forward to Burlington many years later. My brother, Pat, was now married with children of his own. He told his own children this Uncle John story. It must have made a real impression on my niece, Fiona. When I was visiting, she came to me and said something like: “My Daddy said one time you tried to hide their Christmas gifts and give them coal. Is that true?”

I couldn’t deny it. The look on her face was, “How could you?”

What I didn’t know was Fiona would start to plan her revenge, and make up for the wrong that had been done to her father and aunts. That Christmas I was back at their home when Fiona came to me with a mischievous look in her eye and presented me with a nicely wrapped gift. It was a lump of coal!!!!! Her plan had succeeded.

We had a great laugh over it and talked about it for many years after. It is one Christmas memory that came to me right away when Mike asked for memories. Fiona is a young adult now, but I would still get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach if she offered me a nicely wrapped gift at Christmas.