My sister lived in Paris for three years and for three Christmases (she did make it back to the states for one of those Christmases). Her first Christmas in Paris was in 1996 (really? that long ago? Nuts!) and she'd only been living there about 3 months. I was soooo excited to get a Christmas gift all the way from Paris! A box arrived to my parent's house with wrapped gifts for all of us. The gifts were placed under the tree until Christmas day. It was the gift I was most excited about opening that year - I couldn't wait! I had no idea what it was, but it was from Paris and it would be fabulous!! So, Christmas day arrived and I opened the tiny little package with my name on it and, well, this is as anti-climatic of a story as it was a gift. It was a packet of kleenex. Yep, kleenex...all the way from Paris.
It would be dishonest for me to say I wasn't disappointed. I was. Granted, they were those really cute Kleenex and they were Frenchy (had Eiffel towers or something all over them). And it was the very first time I'd ever seen those cute kleenex that you see everywhere today, so they did seem a little special. But I still saw it as just a packet of kleenex. I remember seeing my cousin shortly after this (not sure why I got to see her...we didn't see each other much during our college years). Nicole was as excited about the idea of a gift from Paris as I was. She wanted to know all about what Beth had sent me. Surely it was something grand - from Paris! She, too, was disappointed that it was simply kleenex. Ah, well. I suppose I've gotten over it.
I should cut Beth a little slack because she was a nanny making next to nothing...she couldn't afford us nice gifts that year. I do still give her a hard time about it though. My first year in New York, I hid her real gift in another room and I only placed a wrapped packet of cute NYC kleenex under the tree for her. I could see the look of disappointment on her face when she opened them and I waited until the very end of the gift opening to bring out her real gift! I think I proved my point that day :)
8 comments:
great story. I'd totally tease her about that for years to come, too.
funny thing is, if you ask Georgia what she's going to ask Santa for, one of the things she always says is kleenex! I guess at age 3, it's still semi-exciting to get your own?
P.S. A Christmas in Paris sounds amazing to me. Maybe one day...
That is hilarious!
Your memory is amazing. I'm racking my brain with these memories, and coming up short. But then I've noticed that about me - I don't hang onto details at all.... Sad. I'm so thankful for a cousin like you who can bring it back to life!
Christmas '96 though..I was married and expecting Sarah... I know I went to Dallas that year without Jason - he had to stay to work, and we didn't get together until the day or so after Christmas at his brother's so maybe you were up from Waco and your family was in town? That seems logical.
It was the first Christmas without Mammaw so I could definitely see that we probably would have all made the effort to get together.
Nicole...I don't know why we were in Dallas at the same time. I know I drove home for Christmas that year. Was it possibly the year that Amanda got married? I also feel like it was the year that Mammaw and Pappaw took us all out for dinner at Landry's. It was like we were celebrating something special. But, what? Hmmm, not sure. But I know that I saw you!!
Whoops...not Landry's, Lawry's!
We went out for their 50th that year; but that was in May '96. She passed away in July '96. Amanda's wedding was New Years Eve '94, I think, b/c I wasn't dating Jason at that time..I was dating the hometown boy. Or maybe I was dating Jason and he was in town. That would have made it New Years Eve '95...still not '96. Hmmmmm.
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