Growing up, I don’t ever remember being one of those kids that was like “gimme this…gimme that…” at Christmas. I should probably check with my mom but why spoil a good fantasy, eh?
Out of 43 Christmases that I have enjoyed in my lifetime, one gift and one gift alone stands out above all the rest. I so coveted this gift that I would have gladly given my skinny right arm for it. As far as I know, none of my friends had it and no one else was asking for it. If I were fortunate enough to receive it, however, I would be the sweetheart of the nerdy bunch.
Mom and dad rose to the occasion! In 1976, they gave me the complete set of 12 authentic blueprints of the Starship Enterprise along with the Star Trek Star Fleet Technical Manual. I was absolutely in heaven.
30 years have passed since that memorable Christmas and I still have ‘the gift’. The blueprints and manual sit in a revered spot on the top shelf of a bookcase in our bedroom. The pages are yellowing and becoming a little more fragile with each passing year but they continue to bring a smile to this aging man who is still only 13 years old at heart.
Every year my children hand make me some sort of present, whether it be just a card, a picture, or something they did in school. Every year those are the presents I cherish the most. Second to those treasures though, the best Christmas present I ever received was last year.
My husband always swore up and down he would never “pay” for a dog other than the cost of adopting from a shelter. Because of my back I am unable to have a big dog (my favorite type of dogs are huge - the bigger the better… still hoping to someday own a Rott). My hubby knew how frustrating it was for me to be so confined to the house and sometimes to the chair. So last year he gave me the money to get my little boy Matthias, a very rare breed called Biewer Yorkshire Terrier. He has been a joy and a God-send, cheering me up when I’m down, doing his best to make me feel better when I’m sick, and even laying his little body on my back or my bad leg letting his body heat help the pain. He goes with me everywhere. After losing my son nearly 15 years ago and being unable to have any more children, Matthias is the closest thing to a “son” I’ll ever have. I’m very thankful for him. My husband did one thing he said he would never ever do when it came to adopting a pet.
And a special thanks to his breeder as well. This breed can sell for nearly $1400, especially if they are brought in from Germany which is where the breed originated and is still mainly found. I won’t disclose how much the breeder let him go for as a puppy, but I will say we pay more for groceries in two weeks than she charged for my boy.
