Another Christmas is behind us, and we are still sorting through gift bags and pine needles and trying to recreate some semblance of order as decorations start coming down and a new year gets underway. I love so much about the Christmas season… the festivity, the lights, Advent, the scents, the sounds, the shopping. But, I usually feel a sense of letdown when it’s over. December is full of so much energy and excitement, and then January arrives and there is so little happening. This year, though, I am looking forward to the slower, quieter pace January brings with it.
I enjoy buying gifts for people year-round. In general, I like the challenge of finding something new for someone I know and love. But, Christmas nearly does me in because it’s too many all at once and I don’t feel like there’s adequate time to think through each gift.
The Spouse has never shared my love for gift-giving. It’s just not his love language. His languages are time and touch, two areas where he is attentive and affirming. He is fluent in his own languages.
But, gifts? They stress him out. So, since we each have our areas of strengths and weaknesses, I buy all of the gifts for everyone in our families, our neighbors, teachers, friends, etc. And, that frees him up to focus on things like our outdoor decorations and watering the tree. It reminds me of this illustration I saw a few weeks ago:
I’ve learned that the only way to stay sane in December in this life stage is to start early and do the bulk of the shopping online. I still mess up and wind up running around tying up loose ends the week before Christmas, but it’s more manageable if I at least start mentally preparing in October.
The Spouse is thoughtful and tenderhearted, so he always get stockings stuffers and a gift for me even though it causes him undue stress to shop. He prefers to start looking for things around December 20th… which is fine if that’s his {or your} style. But, sometimes that has consequences.
On Christmas day this year I opened these:
I’m not sure one can tell from the picture, but these are spandex {i.e., skin-tight} checkerboard leggings. The Spouse says they don’t photograph well and holds that they look much better in person. I think that’s arguable. {As a side note: the accompanying boot socks are cute. I’m not convinced these items pair well together and don’t think he meant for them to do so, but the socks are nice}.
Here’s what is important to know. I like football just fine. I like Tennessee football just fine. But, we do not go to the games. I don’t even watch all the games. I couldn’t tell you which bowl game the Vols were playing in or where that game was being held until the day of the event itself. I don’t typically wear orange apparel beyond a few shirts I keep in the closet for football Saturdays in the fall. Sure, I’m a fan because this is my hometown team. But, no one has ever called me a fanatic.
So, these pants, {and I think it might be a stretch to call them such}, are all the more hilarious.
Now, the Spouse says I walked by these in a window display and somehow implied I wanted them. I have absolutely no recollection of doing this. There’s a chance I noticed them and said, “Those are cute” in the same way I might see a puppy in a window and say, “Oh, isn’t he cute?!” But, I didn’t mean to communicate that I needed/desired them. To prove his point, though, the Spouse has since taken a picture of the window display in question {on a recent visit to the restaurant we frequent next door to the store} and adamantly insists I saw these, pointed to them, and excitedly communicated my affection for them.
You know. December is a stressful month. It’s possible I had a momentary lapse of good judgment and did this. I just don’t remember that moment.
But, we have laughed until we cried about this whole miscommunication. At first, I thought I would take the leggings back at my earliest convenience for a refund. But, now that I’ve had a few days to think about it, I’ve decided to keep them for all posterity. And, maybe for good luck since the Volunteers played one of their best games ever in the Outback Bowl today. I’m not certain I’ll ever wear them in public because I don’t really feel worthy of them, but I think they might make fine game day loungewear… assuming I can get them on.
In some ways, I think the leggings are symbolic ~ not of my undying love for the University of Tennessee ~ but of one of the cruxes of our marriage… laughter. I knew when I was dating in college and grad school that one of the most important qualities I desired in a mate was a sense of humor. As much as I love gift-giving, it’s just not on my top ten list of things that matter about a person. But, sense of humor… that’s huge. And, I love that the Spouse has a great one.
Maybe one day in the not too distant future the Spouse will invite one or all of his daughters to go shopping with him. And, I will hope that might have a less outrageous outcome. But, if not, I’ll still be grateful for the effort and the laughs because that matters so much more than the nature, or the color, or the practicality of my leggings… or your leggings.
Happy New Year, friends! May your 2016 be full of much peace, joy, hope, and lots of laughter. And, Go Vols!!
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