I posted this to PugVillage earlier….
Let me preface this by saying that my “little” sister is a little more than three years younger than me. I’m 34 and she’s 31. My parents have always gone out of their way to treat us equally, sometimes to a frightening degree. At Christmas, they always try to spend the same amount of money on us. My sister lives closer to home and I’m several hundred miles away. Since my mom babysits regularly, and they go out to dinner often, my parents will often just send me a check. It’s never expected, rarely solicited, usually at random, but always appreciated.
For Christmas, my parents were paying for a couple of windows for my sister’s new house. At Thanksgiving, my dad said they were going to give me an equal amount in cash. I put a stop to that and gave my mom a rediculous list of gift ideas. Let me tell you that my parents rocked this Christmas for me. I got a Calphalon grill pan, a set of Wüsthof knives (in addition to the santoku knife that Smeg and Diosa got me), the 7th season of the West Wing on DVD, and a new set of sheets for my bed that are Pug-colored to hide the fur.
My intent was to give them some ideas. Instead, my parents got me some really cool stuff that not only could I use, but that I actually wanted.
Before I left on Wednesday morning, my mom gave me gas money. I didn’t need it but completely appreciated it. It cost me close to $75 each way in gas.
In all of that, the best part of my Christmas was having a place to go “home” to. It was great to sit by the fireplace in my parents’ house and appreciate my parents’ company. My parents are young (early fifties), and I’m glad I can appreciate them while I still have them.