True Story

[Doris Grant]

A kindly 90-year-old grandmother found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in their Christmas cards. In each card she carefully wrote, "Buy your own present" and then sent them off. After the Christmas festivities were over, she found the checks under a pile of papers on her desk. Everyone on her gift list had received a beautiful Christmas card from her with "Buy your own present" written inside.....but without the checks!


Doris

[Gina Stevenson]

A kindly 90-year-old grandmother found buying presents for family and friends a bit much one Christmas, so she wrote out checks for all of them to put in their Christmas cards. In each card she carefully wrote, "Buy your own present" and then sent them off. After the Christmas festivities were over, she found the checks under a pile of papers on her desk. Everyone on her gift list had received a beautiful Christmas card from her with "Buy your own present" written inside.....but without the checks!


Doris

'Bet they both felt badly -- receiver & giver -- until it was straightened out! Why? Because this reminds me of a story of when I was one of the "kindergarten helpers" when in 5th & 6th grade, one Christmas [but then if I'd not already had such a low self-esteem from critical negativity here, I might not have seen it this way].

This one teacher gave out presents as the vacation time came, I bro't it home, opened it -- could've saved myself some heartache opening it at school, so she'd have seen -- and it was ... EMPTY!!

Felt that it was some cruel joke, tho' the teacher had seemed nice ... because she, too, was letting me know I just could not do anything right, and so that's what I was worth at Christmas ... nothing. :(

So, I felt very badly, while trying not to [of course the persons responsible for me feeling so negative about myself even told me she didn't mean to give it to me empty ... but it was too late; they'd already conditioned me for years before that what I tho't was right] the whole Christmas vacation.

When I got back to school after the break [10 days, 2 weeks, whatever??], the teacher had found the gloves she'd bo't me at home, and right away told me how awful she felt not getting them into the box, but wrapping it and giving it to me ... empty! That definitely alerted me to how awful I could feel about myself, thinking she really meant for it to be empty. Wow! Too bad I didn't realize that soon (5th-6th grade) that I needed to talk to someone, rather than still keeping things inside because we had it pounded into our heads: "You don't tell your business to ANYONE!" (most likely, fearing disclosure of the abusiveness at home, if we talked) So, I didn't know any better than to keep quiet for years after that ................

ANYWAY, it was a cute, funny story, in spite of the memory it evoked ... grandma saying, "Buy your own present!" and then not remembering to give them something with which to buy it! ;)

[Barb Bouldrey]

Our last pastorate would give us a "food pounding" at Thanksgivng. One year a lady gave us a can of Crisco. They had been on sale and she bought 3, giving us one of them.

I put all the groceries away. I usually do not use Crisco or any oil in my cooking, so I had not yet used it when she called. She asked if the can she gave me had already been open and used. I did not know, but went and check. YEP it had been opened and used.

She was so embarassed. She had grabbed the wrong can! We both laughed and she brought me a new, unopened can.

Barb

[Joel Merrill]

My mom is almost 91. Her mind is pretty good most of the time. She remembers who people are but she gets confused as to how they are related. My daughters reminder her of her nieces when they were that age. When they my daughters visit Mom, she knows they are her granddaughters and she is in touch with the present, but she signs their Christmas cards, "Your Aunt and Uncle."

Joel

Here is a picture of my mom with Ethan, her first great grandchild.

Joel

[Marg Shurtliff]

the one about the grandma who sent them all checks but deliberately "forgot " to sign any . She got visits from all the kids when they came to thank her and get her signature ! Liked your true story though . Thanks .