I will admit it. I am a hard guy to buy gifts for whenever a gift is warranted. I really don't have need of anything. If there is something I need, I am fortunate enough to be in a position to buy it.
Occasionally I will buy something I don't necessarily need but would still like to have. And then there are some times that I receive a gift that I neither needed nor thought I even wanted but once I get it, I am pleased I did. Such is the gift from my daughter this year.
We had our Christmas celebration tonight as she is having Christmas day with her mom this year. We first did the gift opening in her living room before we spent some time preparing supper together. I gave my daughter a new set of kitchen tools: pots, pans, stainless steel prep bowls and a host of kitchen utensils complete with her own Chef's jacket. (All of these items came into play as we prepared supper together).
My gift came in a medium-sized gift bag; an official NHL Calgary Flames jersey complete with "Burns" and the number "08" stitched on the back. I immediately donned my jersey with a huge smile upon my face.
I admit that I am a pretty die-hard Flames fan but had never really thought to ever buy myself a team jersey. My daughter, perhaps an even bigger fan, found something that would be meaningful yet fun. (We swap text messages during most every game regardless of where I may be traveling. She keeps me up to date when I can't get a score on the game. It's a daddy-daughter bonding thing).
The real gift though, wasn't really the hockey sweater. The gift was that my little girl (now a grown woman) was paying attention over the course of the year, gave me a real gift of thoughtfulness and the most precious gift, some quiet and quality time together making and sharing a meal.
ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Christmas is never really about the gifts. It's about how someone else thinks you're worthy of a gift in the first place. The real gift is that there are people in your life who love you and admire you. Anyone who has love has a lot. Adopt your "Gratitude Attitude" this year. Remember, life is about the memories you make. That's what really matters when you look back. Thirty years from now I may no longer own my Flames jersey but I will have the memory of the smiles, excitement and laughter that my daughter and I shared tonight. And at the end of life, that's what really matters anyway.
Oh, and the Flames beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3.
1 comment:
Kitchen tools were especially a good idea, even more so than pots and pans.
It is hard to emphasize the usefulness of GOOD kitchen tools for cooking. Without them, cooking is a chore and a cook quickly loses interest in the kitchen. In fact, I devoted a full chapter to this subject: Kitchen Tools to Keep, Kitchen Tools to Trash in my new book (Nov/08):
Tried and True Recipes from a Caterer’s Kitchen—Secrets of Making Great Foods
www.eloquentbooks.com/TriedandTrueRecipes.html
www.howfoodswork.blogspot.com
Check it out!
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