Under The Tree

One of the questions that pops up a lot around this time of year is "So, was Santa Claus good to you?" The obvious meaning is: "So, did you get some good loot this year?"

Now, let me just say that I am not in any way less avaricious than the next guy. I love getting presents. I love stuff. I think I might be a better person if I didn't, but there you go.

But truth be told - and I don't think I'm alone here - my favourite part of Christmas morning isn't about the stuff I get. It's about watching the faces of the people when they open a present from me, one that I thought about long and hard before buying it for them and finally decided it was perfect.

My oldest daughter unwrapped a present from me. It was a DVD I'd searched for in dozens of stores across Canada and finally found. She read the cover, not recognizing it - it certainly hadn't been on her list. She'd never heard of it. I wondered how she'd react. Then she shrugged and said "If Dad thinks I'll love it ... I'll love it." And it wasn't insincere - she honestly believed that. Nothing I unwrapped that day mattered to me more than that moment.

Nor did I unwrap anything on Christmas day that matched the moment when my younger girl pulled a big blanket off the entertainment unit I'd built for her. One of my first fine cabinetry projects - simple but elegant, very much what you might find in IKEA (the furniture of my people). Not terribly complicated to build, but hours spend sanding and finishing every board. Years from now, I may cringe when I look at the workmanship - I hope I will. But she was so utterly, tearfully delighted that I fear I may never ever build anything better.

I didn't unwrap a single gift that made me feel better than I did Boxing Day night, when I got a phone call from one of my dearest friends. For a few years we'd fallen into sporadic contact, and I'd often been afraid the friendship was withering. But here he was, on the phone, and he came over and we talked and laughed for hours.

Look, you can't have a single thing I got. I love the stuff. I'm just saying that in relative value, it's nothing more than stuff - ultimately, if someone came and looted my house and took it, I'd be more concerned about the pain in the arse of dealing with the insurance company than about what I lost.

So when you ask if Santa was good to me, and I smile broadly and say "Sure was!" ... I'm not talking about what was under the tree.

Just so you know.

Comments

[Rob MacD]

Nils, next time you're looking for that hard to find DVD, try going online to DVD Box Office. They've got a huge selection of stuff, pretty fairly priced in CDN, and no shipping fees. I just got my wife A&E's Pride and Prejudice for Christmas.