Wednesday, December 3, 2008

The Worst Christmas Ever!!

I'm taking a little break from putting the finishing touch on my Christmas giveaway for tomorrow for the Holiday Expo at the Internet Cafe.

While I was working on this, I was thinking about the "worst Christmas ever". I just can't help myself--I have to share this you.

A little background--my sister was actually my step-sister. We were 5 months apart in age and met each other at the age of 11 when her father started dating my mother. We were instant friends and grew to love each very much. There was no "step" about us--we were sisters and best friends.

She was a wonderful person, and I could talk her into anything. Her very favorite line to me was: "You are going to get us SOOOOOO in trouble!" Before I go any further here, I need to tell you that she had nothing to do with the fireworks going off in the high school auditorium--that was totally me and my "so-called" friends--she was innocent in that one!!

But, one Christmas, my mother, knowing how sneaky we (or just me) were, decided to fool us. She would go shopping and bring things home in bags, wrap them immediately and then store them under her bed. This way she thought there was no way we could look at our Christmas presents before Christmas morning.

But, my devious (at that time) mind was working!! When we came home from school, no one else was there!! Why not take the presents out from under the bed, just unwrap them a little to peek inside and then fix them back to their original state?? Oh, an excellent plan on my part!!

Oh, but my sister didn't want to go along with this!! " We're going to get in trouble, we're going to get found out, we're going to be punished for sure for this one!! Why do you always want to get us in trouble??"

I didn't want to get us in trouble. I just wanted to see what we were getting for Christmas--early!! I knew once I started doing this and seeing all the surprises that she would just fall in line right behind me--just like she always did!! And it worked!! We slightly opened and looked at each and every one of our Christmas presents that were hidden under that bed!!

Christmas morning arrives!! We open all the presents that we had already seen. What a great disappointment to know exactly what was in each of those boxes!! It wasn't fun at all!!

What a minute!! Mom had taken us shopping, and we had tried on suede jackets so she knew exactly which one each of us wanted and what size to buy. Where were the suede jackets? Surely she knew how much we wanted these? We were greedy girls at the age of 13, and everyone we knew had a suede jacket!!

Where were those suede jackets?? Hmmmm.....all the presents opened and on to breakfast--then to my aunt's house, another aunt's house, home again and then to bed--no suede jackets. What a disappointment on top of knowing everything else before we even received it as a gift.

This was the worst Christmas ever!! I had ruined it all on my own!!

Fast forward to March of the next year--we were doing our Saturday housecleaning. Mom was cleaning out her closet (so she said). She walks out into the living room where much dusting and vacuuming was going on.

She says to my sister and I, "Look what I found hanging in the back of my closet!! I forgot I had gotten these for you girls for Christmas!!"

A suede jacket for each of us--not forgotten--they had been there since before Christmas. But, I'm thinking that my mom felt that we didn't deserve these after the unwrapping and rewrapping fiasco.

Just goes to show--you can't fool your mom--you may think you can, but it's just impossible.

K--that's all for a while!!

Beth


5 comments:

Knittin Kudzu said...

Beth, I was chuckling as I read your post...this sounds like something my brother and I did one year. It totally changed the magic of Christmas for both of us! We thought we were so grown up and sophisticated. We were better behaved in the years that followed, although he still loves to shake the packages! LOL!

We spent Thanksgiving with my brother's family and much of that was spent remembering the fun of past Christmases. It was such a good time.

I can't believe how fast Christmas is sneaking up on me this year. You are so much farther along them me! Keep up the good work!

Blessings, Sandy

Peggy said...

Blessings my extravert friend...Oh Beth...you are definitely a spitfire! Your poor mom and sis!

So what's the deal on fireworks in the high school auditorium?

You see what happened because you peeked! Your mom forgot your most important gift!

There's a non sleigh bell song for kids that says..."she didn't see me creep, down the stairs to have a peek...she thought that I was tucked up in my bedroom fast asleep." You know "naughty" & "nice"...your sis wanted to be good and look at you! Such fun! Good memories! Try to stay out of trouble this year!

Do your kids have to wrap & hide presents at Cara's?

Aunt Kathy said...

Oh boy, maybe we are really related. My sister and I did this very same thing. Scary, huh?

Denise said...

Thanks for making me smile.

magnoliasntea said...

I enjoyed reading your story. :)
My parents knew their kids & kept gifts at work or in the car trunk.