The first Christmas after Mary Ellen and I got married we discovered that we had a true cultural divide when it came to gift giving. In my family, Christmas gifts had to be a surprise. It was inappropriate to ask for something specific. Christmas morning was all about the anticipation of what you might be getting. It wasn’t what you necessarily wanted, but it was exciting.
In Mary Ellen’s family, however, requesting an item made perfect sense. You got exactly what you wanted; there were no real surprises. Mary Ellen and her brother still exchange gifts. They both ask for Amazon Gift Cards. The only excitement is seeing who sprang for the most.
To be or not to be surprised is no longer the question. Mary Ellen and I do all our shopping online and because we share the same Amazon Prime account, we both are always aware of what the other person is buying. When we log on to order additional gifts, we see what our significant other has purchased the previous time the website was accessed. And Mary Ellen is always quick to share her approval when she sees what I selected.
“Oh, Dick, that is so sweet. I just saw that you bought me a Water Sonic Fusion professional flossing toothbrush and water flosser combo in one compact unit, SF-02 Green. $119.95. It’s nearly exactly what I asked for!”
“I’m glad you are happy about that, dear. You seem to know more about the purchase than I do. Any other info you’d like to share?”
“Yes, it will be delivered between December 17 and 21 and I can return it until January 31, which I probably will because I wanted it in white, not green.”
“Is there anything else you’d like?”
“Yes, I was kinda hoping for (and also asked for) the COSORI Air Fryer XL (with 100 recipes Electric Hot Oven Oilless Cooker including an LED Touch Digital Screen with 11 pre-sets, Preheat and Shake Reminder, Nonstick Basket 5.8 Quarts. It was only $85.98, so I went ahead and ordered that, too. Thank you. You are so thoughtful. I can’t wait to open it.”
Mary Ellen had gotten gifts for me, which I also saw on the site…
“Okay, Mary Ellen, while we’re at it, thanks for the battery organizer. Battery storage case with tester for AA, AAA, AAAA 9V CD lithium 3V (BATTERIES NOT INCLUDED). Sold by: PAIYUL Return eligible through Jan 31, 2021. $24.99.”
“Well, Dick, thanks for ruining Christmas. I wanted that to be a surprise. I even bought you some batteries to go with it.”
Right now, a half-dozen boxes are piled just inside our front door (all from Amazon) and we haven’t got the slightest idea what’s in any of the packages. If we open the wrong box in order to appropriately wrap the gift, that might ruin the surprise, which, of course, it clearly isn’t a surprise, because we both know what we are getting. We just don’t know what box it’s in.
Christmas was never this confusing before. Next year if the pandemic is over, I plan to go to department stores and locally owned gift shops and maybe I can learn to enjoy the fun of in-person shopping again.
What a nice surprise that would be.
