Many years ago while admiring the size and beauty of the Quick Family Christmas tree; I noticed a very large present wedged behind the tree that wasn’t there the night before. Upon further inspection I discovered that this giant gift was for… me! My curiosity kicked into high gear. What heavy gift could possibly come in a box 2 X 2 X 4? Then it hit me. My wife had bought me a keyboard! I couldn’t contain my excitement. I was elated with the thought that my wife actually bought me a synthesizer. My head was swimming with excitement at the thought of such an extravagant (and perfect) gift. I had visions of spending countless hours playing music on my brand new keyboard. On Christmas Eve, I intentionally saved the best present for last. With nervous expectation I dragged the heavy box out from behind the tree. With everyone in the room watching, I paused and whispered a heart felt thank you to my wife and proceeded to unveil the best Christmas gift ever. I pulled a large section of the wrapping paper off and my mind was having a difficult time remembering the brand name or the unfamiliar logo of the musical instrument. I think I read the word Craftsman on the box. While my mind was still racing to catch up I continued to pull the remaining paper from the… garage door opener? The reality of the moment hit me like a sudden hammer to my cranium. I didn’t have the time (or the brains) to conceal my disappointment. My shock and sudden let-down was so obvious to everyone that I didn’t have a chance to recover. The only thing I could do was stare at the box in a trance-like state and say…”oh… a garage door opener.” My wife left the room crying. Needless to say, the recovery of that Christmas took several years of apologies and marriage counseling. After the return of the gift to Sears, the Quick family was sentenced to opening and closing their garage doors manually for the next ten years. With each slam of our large doors, I was reminded of the Christmas gift that closed a chapter of my childlike wonder of the holiday.
To read other peoples Messy Christmas stories go to
www.messychristmas.com
Wow, that's messed up. I guess that's what you get for snooping.
Posted by: Matt Singleterry | November 21, 2007 at 08:19 AM
That is my FAVORITE Christmas story to tell my friends and co-workers
Posted by: Danielle Maehara | December 24, 2007 at 10:36 AM