The best gifts can't be wrapped

With Christmas just a little over a day away, kids of all ages (from 1 to 92, as the song says) get itchy fingers to know what is hidden in mom and dad's closet, or under their beds (after they do their annual removal of the dust bunnies), or at the neighbor's house. I'm no different. Oh, I've finally outgrown--at least a little bit--the temptation to get up the night before Christmas to sneak out into the living room to see if I could pry a corner open on the most curious gifts and try to figure out what it was. Over the years, my family became experts at REALLY taping their packages shut. I guess that's what made me quit that ritual. Either that, or as I've gotten older, the sleep I might miss is more valuable than knowing ahead of time. Oh, and in case you wondered, I became a real expert at "faking it" on Christmas morning.
I think the most frustrating one was the year I asked Ivan (my other half) for a hint. All he would tell me was "I got you a green apple in a black velvet bag." Well, there were no visions of sugarplums dancing in my head that year. It was more like belly aches from the green apples I'd always been forbidden from tasting when I was growing up. When Christmas morning finally dawned, I anxiously tore the paper off the package I'd been teased by for so long. Inside, sure enough, there was a beautiful green jade apple pin, with gold leaves and a little white pearl. I still have it. I wear it quite often. I love it. And every time I do, I remember all the times I was told what it was--and I was too dumb to "get it"!

Anyway, sometimes a gift of great value drops into your lap when you least expect it, and there is no way to put it in wrapping paper and tie it up with a fancy bow. I got one of those just yesterday. Who was the Christmas fairy who brought it? It was a CNN news broadcast. Queen Elizabeth was announcing that she has "come of age" for her Christmas message to the people this year. It will be aired by Podcast.

I smiled, as I thought that I had beaten the queen to the modern age by about four months. That's when I started my two Internet broadcasts at http://internetvoicesradio.com . One of them airs on Monday evenings at 8:30 ET; it is "Marketing for Fun and Profit." The other one is on Thursday evenings at 9:00 ET; that one is "Vamos a Hablar Español" (Let's Talk Spanish). I wondered if Queen Elizabeth enjoyed it as much as I do. I hope she did.

Anyway, here's where the gift came in. They announced that the Christmas Podcast could be accessed at Queen Elizabeth's website. They did not give the url, but I figured my good friend Google would solve that problem in a minute or less. I don't know why I had never thought about the fact that Queen Elizabeth would have a website, but I hadn't.
When I got there, I was amazed. The site is loaded with all sorts of links and historical information on not only England, but Ireland and Scotland. There are pdf's of family ancestral charts. There are tales about various kings and queens, as well as their children, their parents, etc. It is a wealth of information. I marked it as a "favorite" in seconds. I just barely scratched the surface, but oh, the fun things I found there. One of the most fascinating parts was all of the links to information that is geared to children. I would love to share this gift with each of you. Just go to http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1.asp and take your time browsing. It will take hours and hours to absorb all of the information that is there.

And today, I received another gift. There is a fellow writer, his name is Gale Sparks. He goes by "Papa Gale" in the groups we are both members of. He sent a message across to his friends in the group. Now Gale is a very special man. He lives in Tennessee and is a self-proclaimed "redneck." He and his wife are raising a couple of their grandkids. Circumstances don't matter; when they needed him, he was there. He idolized those kids, and this story he told explains why.
One of the kids, his firstborn grandchild, is named Haley, but he immediately nicknamed her "Haybug."
In preparation for Christmas, Gale's wife had taken the two girls to the mall. After they finished their shopping, they went to a little stand to get a pretzel. They sat at a table, and Haybug was distracted, as Grandma and her sister sat and chatted, by a little girl who went up to the counter and bought a small box of "corn." (I am assuming this is the redneck term for popcorn.) She went to a table and the family of four shared the one tiny box of corn. Haybug watched with interest, not saying anything, while Grandma and sister ate their pretzel. Haybug sat there, watching, not touching her pretzel.
After a bit, Papa Gale came to pick the threesome up. As they left the little deli, Haybug went over and gently set her pretzel down on the table for the little girl to have. She didn't say a word, just walked out and went to the car. On the way home, she told the rest of the family about the incident, explaining what she had done and why.

Yes, today I had two Christmas gifts. Neither one cost me a cent. Neither one could be wrapped and put under the tree. But they are among the most valuable gifts I will receive this year--even if it's another green apple in a black velvet bag.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you. I am so glad we have become friends through my blog, my various e-groups, and through whatever means we have met. May you find some special gifts of your own, and may you be willing to share them--like the pretzel.