Christmas Gifts

For Christmas I received from my parents a purple, fleece jacket that has a high collar, covering the neck, and a hood for the head. It is light, warm, and actually pretty stylish. I also received a book of the warblers of North America. It is a book primarily for birders. It shows the various silhouettes of birds while in flight, and while perched. It also indicates through an illustration where specific birds can be generally found while roosting; some species prefer the top of trees, others can be seen in the brush, while still others lurk somewhere in between.

All of my gifts to my parents went to my mother, either directly or indirectly. I bought my mother a back massaging cushion for her chair. My mother had casually mentioned it a few months ago and I filed it away in my memory. Also for my mother I bought a pulse monitor to be worn by my father. The sensor straps around the chest and gives a constant pulse reading on a wristwatch-type monitor. My father can wear the sensor during his basement workouts and either he, or my mother, can keep an eye on the watch-monitor to keep track of his pulse.

One of the gifts I gave to Marty was really a gift to me. That came in the form of a rather high-end pair of compact binoculars; perfect for carrying during hikes. Obviously my thinking is that I am going to be hiking solo less often in the future and my partner is going to need a pair of binoculars. Marty also received a more low-end GPS for his car. I’m not sure how much use it will get but he has been talking about buying one. Now he has one.

From Marty I received a flannel sheet set. They have a pretty snowflake pattern. I also received a white gold earring and necklace set with blue, tanzanite stones. It is a very beautiful set and I was completely overwhelmed when I saw it. When I commented that the gift looked very expensive, and Marty just smiled and shrugged, I became concerned. A short time later I very cautiously extracted from Marty a general price range on the gift. The cost was even higher than I had anticipated. Later, over cocoa, I very discreetly asked Marty if he would return the gift. I had to use discretion because requesting such a thing gets a little tricky. I did not want it to appear as if I felt that our relatively new relationship was unworthy of a costly gift because that is certainly not how I feel. Anyway, Marty finally agreed, though reluctantly.

I loved the gift but the reality is; Marty has a daughter who in a few short years will need money for college. I am not some righteous creature. It's just that I do not want either Marty or I to ever feel as if we are being self-indulgent at someone else's expense. If anyone should ask what Marty gave me for Christmas I will tell them that I received snowflake flannel sheets, and a beautiful earring-necklace set. After all, it's the truth.