A Lesson in Gratitude

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” – Gilbert C. Chesterton

It may be a little late for Christmas gifts although I still have my tree up with the lights on. (Not looking forward to the dismantling and packing away decorations job.) But the fancy paper and ribbons have been ripped from all the presents that once were stacked under it. The presents have been received and perhaps liked. Perhaps returned. Perhaps stuck away to wonder what to do with later. Gratitude has been expressed with happy hearts or perhaps pretended to give a show of thanks.

Recently I sent out a newsletter and readers shared Christmas stories with me. I saved some and shared some here. But there was one that I thought I had saved and now cannot find. So to the reader who shared it I apologize. I have shared the story with different people in my family several times. It’s a sharing kind of story. One with a surprise and a lesson. A lesson in gratitude.

Photo by Shadrach Warid on Unsplash

The reader said that her father never went out shopping for them at Christmas. Not even for her mother. He would give them money to buy something themselves. But one time after the Christmas tree was up, he brought in a huge box and put it by the Christmas tree. A gift for the reader’s mother. She said they were all amazed and filled with curiosity about the big present. You can imagine the things they might have thought about being in that box, especially if you’ve had boxes under your tree that were  an unusual shapes or size. I had one of those boxes myself this year. And it did hold a present I would have never guessed.

Back to my reader’s story. They all couldn’t wait for Christmas morning so her mother could open her present. She said that they were all astounded when her mother opened the box to find snow tires. But then the mother, who surely was a little disappointed, gave them a lesson in gratitude by going to her husband, giving him a kiss and telling him she couldn’t wait to have the tires on her car so she would be safe in the snow.

I have to admit that I wasn’t always that good at being grateful for Christmas gifts from my husband, especially when we were young marrieds. Once, years ago, my husband gave me a floor scrubber/polisher. A perfect gift, he thought. But we lived in an old farmhouse with a linoleum floor in the kitchen that had high traffic places worn down to the black backing. I fear I didn’t show a great deal of joy over that present. I could have taken a lesson from my reader’s mom.

Interestingly enough, I put a picture of my surprising gift from my daughter on my Facebook page  today. It was some sort of battery powered jaws saw that I could use  to attack all the pesky honeysuckle bushes. You can see a picture of it over on Facebook. I’m sure I’ll have some adventures with it come spring.  I invited my Facebook friends to tell me about odd presents they’d received. Kitty said she had once gotten 4 tires for a Model T from her husband. She said, “our 1st Christmas in our 1st home, needless to say not much money but a good deal on the tires or so I was told. Lol.” She says she never let him forget it and I guess I’ve never let my husband forget the floor cleaner present either. It’s become a standing joke that at least this or that present is better than a floor scrubber. So, now I might have to think that the floor scrubber might be better than the tires. Or not.

What unusual presents have you gotten over the years?