Your very best Christmas surprise?

[walkin jack]

My daughter is a doctor and graduate of UT San Antonio Medical School. She was smack dab in the middle of her surgical residency and on ER duty on that December 25th. Said there was no way she'd be able to join us.

We were opening all the gifts around the tree about noon and Our late daughter in law was playin' Santa Claus. It was a good Christmas but it had a huge hole in it for me. I was missin' my baby and just struggling to make the best of it.

"Santa" suddenly looked around and walked into the entry hall. I hadn't heard the doorbell ring but I heard voices. After a minute or two she stepped into the living room. When we saw each other both our eyes filled with tears.

She had worked the midnight shift and decide to make it after all. She got off and ran to her car without getting anything together for the trip. A snap decision totally spur of the moment. Now here she stood... in blood surgical greens and paper shoes. My joy was complete.

She took a nap on the couch that afternoon and had to head back to SA after dinner. I sat for a while and just watched her sleep. It was a quick trip but It made my Christmas. Far and away the best ever. What ever is in 2nd place isn't even close.

 

[delcrossv]

A little late, but daughter #3 was born on 12/26.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Not going to go into detail, but I collect a certain type of knick-knack. I don't have a big collection, and they're not particularly expensive or valuable, but I like them.

One summer several years ago I was visiting a close friend. We stopped into a shop that carried these knick-knacks, and I bought some, mentioning that I collect them.

Several months later, Christmas time came and I got a package from my friend. Inside were a bunch of said knick-knacks. Room got a little dusty, ifyouknowwhatImean. It meant a lot to me not because of the knick-knacks, but because my friend remembered that I liked and collected them. Not the most expensive gift I've ever received, but the most meaningful.

I know it's not the same level as yours, but still important to me.

 

[Sevens]

My Dad's health went in to the toilet before I turned 3 and he passed away in 1988 before I turned 16. So I was a 16 year old opening Christmas presents when I opened up a box that had my 6-inch S&W Model 17-6. That really blew my mind and it also blew the mind of all my much older siblings.

Mom wanted to get me off on a constructive path at this time and it was a local Sportsman's club, a smallbore rifle team, a friend of the family who was a kitchen table FFL and the beginning of my life long love for guns and shooting, something that my Dad had wanted to do with me but couldn't and wasn't able to get around to.

 

[Sevens]

Not going to go into detail, but I collect a certain type of knick-knack. I don't have a big collection...

Is it shrunken heads?!?!?

 

[ContinentalOp]

Is it shrunken heads?!?!?

 

[wheelgun28]

I can share a funny Christmas morning story...

So when I was a child we had a Great Dane he was a good dog and my pal growing up. At that time we had real trees in the house.

So bright and early one Christmas morn little me awakes to see Santa came and left packages under the tree, Yippee!

So after opening some sox and a book, I move to the right-hand side of the tree. I can remember my next words all so vividly, Mommy why are the presents WET!

Well, I guess you saw this coming with Great Dane and real tree, but no the roof didnt leak and Santa didn't drop snow on the gifts.

We all survived and actually had a laugh. As best as we could clean things, like the ornaments they were never perfect. Years would go by, dog long gone and many Christmas past, we would still find a spot on an ornament every so often and bring a smile to our faces with memories of Christmas past.