Gifts

For women, there are two schools of thought when it comes to receiving gifts on birthdays, anniversarys, etc. Some believe that they should gladly accept whatever their "prince charming" brings their way. Others subscribe to the notion that if you don't tell 'em what you want, you'll be sorry.

I fall in the second camp.

My sister married a man who came from a missionary family. They are a fantastic and fun loving crew. Most of their childhood memories did not come from worldly goods, however. It came from singing songs and games. My sister was quite shocked when she received for her first married Christmas something like a pair of socks. Meanwhile, she gave her husband the BEST Christmas ever with tons of games and clothes. It was she who warned me on the advent of MY first married Christmas that people come from different backgrounds; it might be good to talk about expectations.

Lest I sound too worldly, I want to add that for many years, Dan and I gave each other a heart felt card for Christmas or anniversarys. We were in the midst of graduate school and dependent on one income. Believe it or not, I still enjoy a really nice card, with or without gift. It means a great deal to me.

But a gift also has its place. It says "I know you". It says "I thought of you".

Next month is our 7th anniversary and my birthday. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm dropping hints like bowling balls. I'll say things like, "I have to go, honey. I have to WATCH Morgan. She's WATCHing a show now." Sometimes I'll even go so far as to say point blank, "I'd like a watch." We agreed early on in our relationship to be open with each other about these things. It sounds so selfish and, well, it is. I don't want to return things I don't want and neither does he.

So there you have it. You can call it selfishness, but I prefer to call it "gift predestination".