Let's Go Christmas Shopping...for Mom

             Remember those Christmas presents we shopped for as children. One story lives in my family lore:  a bulky wool-knit brown sweater with an over-sized cowl neckline. All along the large sweater neckline hung some kind of imitation animal tail, soft and fuzzy .

“Oooooh, Nana,” said David with delight. “This is beautiful. I’m going to get this for my mommy.” Mother directed his eyes elsewhere and he brought home a surprise that was wonderful and not quite as itchy.

Mother would love an Evening in Paris

            I imagine the same “gift-redirect” happened when I was a gift-giving child. My mother didn’t receive the “Evening in Paris” perfume I wanted to give her. I’d seen it displayed in all its glory at the drug store. The bottle was a deep blue and the stopper displayed a blue-fringed tassel. The advertisement pictured a glamorous woman in a deep blue ball gown.

           The perfume represented my belief that my mother deserved an “evening in Paris.” The fragrance was divine, an extra shot of Eau de Toilet. Daddy told me that it was very pretty but Mother already had plenty of perfume. “Let’s look for some pretty jewelry,” he advised.

           Rarely was Daddy out in left field, but he missed the point that time, just as my mother did when she directed David away from the animal-tailed, brown sweater.

          Mothers deserve the best gift their children can give them, something beautiful in the eyes of the children, something as beautiful as Moms will always be.