Twelve years ago My
Mother received a dollar store Santa Clause figurine for Christmas from an
acquaintance of hers. The figurine was
marked down to 50 cents as the bright orange price tag sticker was still on the
piece. My Mother gracefully accepted the
gift with gratitude and thanked the woman, however her wheels started
turning.
That week following
Christmas we celebrated with the Virginia folks, my Mom’s Brother Paul, Aunt
Maryann and the cousins Paul Andrew, Michael and Gregory. Present time came and Aunt Maryann was last
up to open and at the end, my Mother said “Oh Maryann I have one more for you,
hold on.”
My Mother came back
with a beautifully wrapped box and Aunt Maryann opened it with excitement. As she unwrapped and opened the box she held
in her hand the 50 cent Santa Clause figurine.
She was speechless and was not sure whether to say thank you or not, so
my Mother broke the silence and told her the story and my Mother said “just a
little gag gift for you, Merry Christmas.”
--
The following year
we gathered with the Virginia folks for our annual Christmas celebration. My Mother sat and peeled through the bag of presents
from Aunt Maryann and crew and at the very bottom, wrapped in tissue paper was
the greatest gift of all; the 50 cent Santa Clause figurine, price tag sticker
still attached and all. And so the ‘Family
Heirloom’ was born.
Every Christmas,
the figurine was passed back and forth between my Mother and Aunt Maryann, it became
tradition.
Last year, after
the sudden death of my Mother and with father in the ICU at HUP I was not
really in the Christmas Spirit, but alas we had the Virginia crew for the
annual celebration. Present time came
and I opened mine and at the bottom of the bag was the infamous 50 cent Santa
Clause figurine and yes the price tag sticker lasted all those years and was
still prominent. It brought a smile to
my face and I began to plot the return of the Santa.
Last night we had
Christmas Eve here at my “Palace” and the Virginia crew came out early for the
first time in over 21 years. We had a
great night, everyone actually like the soups I made (as per tradition) and it
was now present time and my present debut was closer and closer!
Aunt Maryann sat
down and opened this oversized box where she found a beautiful red Waterford
Crystal box. My Uncle Paul said “Oh wow,
she dug deep into those pockets this year” and then Aunt Maryann replied, “Oh my God, I
think I just thought of something” "Yeah, I think I just thought of something." She continued to open and screamed with joy “I
knew it, I knew it as soon as I saw Waterford.”
So The Family
Heirloom has been passed back to its rightful owner. Stay tuned for my
reaction next year!
Merry
Christmas!
