Re-Gifting
…the season has me thinking about gifts I have received in holidays past…one of the gifts I remember most was given to me by my uncle during the big family gathering…it was a very simple card – but a little background first:
…for years my uncle sold Christmas trees in the parking lot of a large retail store…also, when it snowed he ran a snow removal business…so during any given December his shopping time was limited…he is also not the type to plan ahead or take great pleasure in shopping…so I am guessing it was as he headed to the family party he realized he was still a gift or two short…on his way he likely made a quick stop at a store and picked up some holiday cards…perhaps as an after-thought he added an “extra gift” to the cards to make them more personalized…
…on my card he extended an offer to allow me to tag along on a Mississippi River walleye excursion or stomp the grassy edges of a cornfield for pheasants with him – a golden ticket for outdoor adventure for a 13-year old boy…I’m pretty sure the full details of the trip that resulted from this Christmas card have mostly faded from my uncles memory – but not so for me…I remember the excursion from beginning to end as if it were a couple of weeks ago and not 2 decages…we returned empty-handed but I harvested memories that shaped the perso
n I have become…
…this year I hope to re-gift the present I received from my uncle - this time to my oldest nephew who is now the same age I was when I received it…we may not have a banner day catching fish or burning gun powder – but that’s not really the point…
…sometime ago you, too, received this gift from a friend or family member – it is our responsibility to re-gift it when we can…
Merry Christmas!
hershy
