I’m convinced that I married an elf. My wife, Eve, fits the bill.
Those who know her will say “Whoa, hold up. She doesn’t look anything like an elf. She’s 5 feet 9 inches tall.” That doesn’t phase me because, you see, when
most people think of elves, they conjure images of little people dressed in
green who help Santa make toys at the North Pole.
To that I say, “right idea but wrong image.”
Haven’t you people ever seen any of the Lord of the Rings
movies or the Hobbit? They had plenty of
elves in those movies and they were just as tall as you and me. Many of them were blonde too. Okay, so they had pointy ears like Spock from
Star Trek but let’s stay focused on the height thing. If those were elves, then maybe we have the
wrong mental image when we think about the gang that helps Santa.
Today is Eve’s birthday. Yes, that’s right. Her birthday is
actually Christmas Eve, so Christmas has always been incredibly special to her.
Like most people who learn that Eve’s birthday is Christmas
Eve, you’re probably thinking “That sucks!” or “What a gyp?!”
Most people reason that when your birthday is on the eve of the biggest gift-giving day of the year, odds are you’ll end up with lots of COMBO gifts – “Here’s your Birthday/Christmas present.”
Most people reason that when your birthday is on the eve of the biggest gift-giving day of the year, odds are you’ll end up with lots of COMBO gifts – “Here’s your Birthday/Christmas present.”
So when everyone else collects two gifts for the two
occasions, the birthday girl only gets one.
That might be the case in some families, but not in Eve’s. They’ve
always been very strict about NOT combining the two holidays. In fact, the December
24th is EXCLUSIVELY Eve’s birthday until evening when they go to Christmas Eve
mass. Cards and presents are given, Happy Birthday is sung, cake is eaten. It’s
just like her birthday is on some random day.
But what I’ve come to learn over time is that that is all smoke and mirrors to make people lose sight of what has become so obvious to me. Eve is an elf. She so takes the season and the holiday to heart that I often end up referring to her as “Mary Christmas” this time of year. From ornaments, to wrap, to cards, to trees, to baking. This holiday is so much a part of who she is.
While she may not have a little North Pole workshop for making gifts, she does have an extraordinary knack for finding the perfect gift for each person. Many people sweat this time of year mercilessly. What do I get for my mother? What do I get for the kids? What do I get for the person who has everything? It’s torture for them. They dread it.
Not so for Eve. She’s so incredibly gifted (pun intended) at gift-giving, I keep telling her that she should write a book on the subject. I’ve seen “gift suggestion” books in the Barnes & Noble but none of them offer the creativity that comes so naturally to Eve.
She knows better than anyone the pleasure of catching someone by surprise with a gift. It’s exactly what they wanted even though they didn’t consciously know they wanted it. If there isn’t a little Santa’s magic at work there, I don’t know what it is.
In any case, because Eve is this way, we all try just a little harder to come up with something special for her when this time of year rolls around.
Happy Birthday, Eve. Hope you enjoyed your birthday. I love you!
But what I’ve come to learn over time is that that is all smoke and mirrors to make people lose sight of what has become so obvious to me. Eve is an elf. She so takes the season and the holiday to heart that I often end up referring to her as “Mary Christmas” this time of year. From ornaments, to wrap, to cards, to trees, to baking. This holiday is so much a part of who she is.
While she may not have a little North Pole workshop for making gifts, she does have an extraordinary knack for finding the perfect gift for each person. Many people sweat this time of year mercilessly. What do I get for my mother? What do I get for the kids? What do I get for the person who has everything? It’s torture for them. They dread it.
Not so for Eve. She’s so incredibly gifted (pun intended) at gift-giving, I keep telling her that she should write a book on the subject. I’ve seen “gift suggestion” books in the Barnes & Noble but none of them offer the creativity that comes so naturally to Eve.
She knows better than anyone the pleasure of catching someone by surprise with a gift. It’s exactly what they wanted even though they didn’t consciously know they wanted it. If there isn’t a little Santa’s magic at work there, I don’t know what it is.
In any case, because Eve is this way, we all try just a little harder to come up with something special for her when this time of year rolls around.
Happy Birthday, Eve. Hope you enjoyed your birthday. I love you!
-- Frosty
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