The day after (part one)

This might have been my best Christmas ever! So many wonderful memories to savor and treasure!!


I guess I'll start with Christmas Eve day, when I was at Beth's. Many enjoyable hours were spent there talking, visiting, laughing, eating, napping (only me -- not 'many', but a couple, maybe!), smiling, hugging ... very different from Thanksgiving! The highlight of my evening came was when I was fixin' to leave and Beth said, "You can't leave yet! You haven't opened your presents!!"

I thought, "What presents?!?" She handed me one of those festive bag thingees with colorful tissue paper inside that are so popular nowadays for wrapping, and I began opening. Inside were a bridge score pad (she had optimistically thought we'd be able to get in a hand or two while I was there!), an absolutely delightful magnetic angel for the refrigerator or to use as an ornament, and a couple of those little all-ready-to-go bags of coffee makings that she thought I would probably enjoy.

Then, while we were all laughing and exclaiming over those items, she presented me with a larger box. This one was from Thelma, Beth's mom. I thought, "Oh, my goodness!" I didn't want to open it. I didn't want to destroy what was obviously a hand-made wrap. It didn't make any difference from which direction you viewed it. Each side and end was a scene in and of itself, all very carefully hand-cut and painstakingly taped together to create what was - truly - a wondrous package.

I kept oohing and aahing over it and procrastinating cutting into it to get a look at what might be inside until finally, Dianne - Beth's sister - said, "Here, let me get a closer look at that." I was about to just hand it over to her when I noticed that she had a knife in her hand.

"Ding, ding, ding, ding!" sounded this alarm in my brain and I said, "Give me the knife first." She reluctantly handed over the knife, but then - when I offered the package in order that she could get the closer inspection that she had requested, her interest seemed to have completely dissipated.

Well, there was just no way I could possibly further avoid having to cut into this hand-made treasure, and so I began. Very carefully, I felt along the outside of the package trying to discern where the 'seams' might be.


I'm going to curtail what was threatening to become the world's longest short story ever here by simply saying that I FInally got the job done. What was inside? Well, the little package I initially pulled out - one of three - contained what at first just looked like bits and pieces of fabric scraps! But then I could discern various colored caps and bows. I thought, "What the devil?"

Laughing all the while over these tiny items and thinking, "They must be for a doll. I'm too old to be playing with dolls!", I pulled out the next two bubble-wrapped items. The first was the base. It kind of looked like some sort of candle holder and I thought, "Neat!" I then looked for the candle.

No candle. Instead, there was a pink flamingo. I kid you not here, a pink flamingo! (And no, I'm not going to put him outside in the yard. Do you think I'm crazy? Don't answer that.) And yes, I have decided that it is a 'he'. Sorry, Dianne, but my pink flamingo is going to be known as the world's classiest cross-dresser and will be enjoying every second of his newly-found fame. (I may, however, decide to hold a naming contest for him later. Any suggestions in the meantime?)

He has outfits for not every occasion, but lots of them! Here he is with his very proud new owner, modeling his Santa outfit complete with bow tie and cap (which I have, as of this writing, perched jauntily on the top of his head).



You can see parts of some of his other outfits on the couch to my left. And, if you are able to enlarge the photo* of me, you will be able to count my multitudinous wrinkles, skin imperfections, gray hair (FInally! I've been endeavoring to cultivate every single one of those strands for many years now!!), missing teeth, and whatever all else and varying assortments that often accompany the aging process -- however, I hope that you also take particular note of the sparkling twinkles in my eyes.

What a fun present. What a fun day! Part two of "The day after" will come later. Might even be tomorrow, who knows?

*And yes, you can. Just do a single click and there you have me, such as I was on Christmas Eve! As I told Beth, "If I'd known my picture was going to be taken, I'd have at least flossed and brushed my teeth!"

PS. No contest. His name is Sam. Sorry, folks, no contest. Sam it is. Rrvit!