As usual, I scrambled at the last minute for Christmas shopping.
I do so since the bulk of the items on my list are gift cards for my nephews, niece and my mom, who looks forward to getting the one from Barnes and Noble. She enjoys roaming through the major book store chain and picking out reading materials to her taste.
During a recent visit to Barnes and Noble, my girlfriend Kathi expressed an interested in the book “Unbearable Lightness,” by Portia de Rossi. I kept a mental note of that as a Christmas gift.
I returned to the book store on Christmas Eve and picked up a gift card for my mom and the de Rossi book for Kathi, who, much to my surprise, received that same book from her mom.
I gambled and lost. At least we can always swap the book for another.
I didn’t expect lightning to strike twice this Christmas. But it did.
Josh had jotted down a u-video camera on our family wish list. I thought it was a safe bet that none of my siblings were going to purchase an item like that for my 15-year-old son. I also noticed that JC Penney’s in Manteca had that very pocket-sized video camera by Sharper Image in stock.
I bought the video camera for Josh. I couldn’t wait to see his expression come Christmas Day when he un-wrapped the gift.
The only problem was my sister, Mal, had bought him a similar-type camera. So thrilled was he with the Christmas gift that Josh announced via text his brand new video camera to his friends.
When he opened my package he was appreciative of my gift. At that point, I was more than willing to bring it back for a return.
“No, I can use both of them,” Josh said.
But after inserting the two AAA batteries – lithium, no doubt – he noticed the two-inch LCD screen wasn’t working. The audio part of the camera worked but not the video. So not only did I get my son a near-duplicate gift but also damaged goods.
I can’t say that Christmas was a total disaster. The best part of the holidays is the time you spend with family.
I spent Christmas Eve with Kathi’s family for the second time in the past three years. I got to see the surprise on the faces of her young nephews as they received their first-ever two-wheel bicycles with training wheels. The two boys anxiously awaited as their grandfather, Tom, assembled the 16-inch bikes while, at the same time, overwhelmed by the other Christmas toys equipped with multiple moving parts.
The next day, we shared Christmas with my family in San Jose. We sat around in the living room, relaxed, watched a couple of NBA games on TV, and enjoyed an early dinner before un-wrapping gifts.
Josh and his cousins spent most of their time in the family room, played video games, and laughed out loud at the latest Family Guy “Star Wars” spoof on DVD.
No doubt that most of us look forward to Christmas. I do realize that we can’t expect such gatherings to be anything like that of TV Land or the big screen.
But in this case, we’re creating out our moments.
So why is it that my moments are more suitable for sitcom?
I do so since the bulk of the items on my list are gift cards for my nephews, niece and my mom, who looks forward to getting the one from Barnes and Noble. She enjoys roaming through the major book store chain and picking out reading materials to her taste.
During a recent visit to Barnes and Noble, my girlfriend Kathi expressed an interested in the book “Unbearable Lightness,” by Portia de Rossi. I kept a mental note of that as a Christmas gift.
I returned to the book store on Christmas Eve and picked up a gift card for my mom and the de Rossi book for Kathi, who, much to my surprise, received that same book from her mom.
I gambled and lost. At least we can always swap the book for another.
I didn’t expect lightning to strike twice this Christmas. But it did.
Josh had jotted down a u-video camera on our family wish list. I thought it was a safe bet that none of my siblings were going to purchase an item like that for my 15-year-old son. I also noticed that JC Penney’s in Manteca had that very pocket-sized video camera by Sharper Image in stock.
I bought the video camera for Josh. I couldn’t wait to see his expression come Christmas Day when he un-wrapped the gift.
The only problem was my sister, Mal, had bought him a similar-type camera. So thrilled was he with the Christmas gift that Josh announced via text his brand new video camera to his friends.
When he opened my package he was appreciative of my gift. At that point, I was more than willing to bring it back for a return.
“No, I can use both of them,” Josh said.
But after inserting the two AAA batteries – lithium, no doubt – he noticed the two-inch LCD screen wasn’t working. The audio part of the camera worked but not the video. So not only did I get my son a near-duplicate gift but also damaged goods.
I can’t say that Christmas was a total disaster. The best part of the holidays is the time you spend with family.
I spent Christmas Eve with Kathi’s family for the second time in the past three years. I got to see the surprise on the faces of her young nephews as they received their first-ever two-wheel bicycles with training wheels. The two boys anxiously awaited as their grandfather, Tom, assembled the 16-inch bikes while, at the same time, overwhelmed by the other Christmas toys equipped with multiple moving parts.
The next day, we shared Christmas with my family in San Jose. We sat around in the living room, relaxed, watched a couple of NBA games on TV, and enjoyed an early dinner before un-wrapping gifts.
Josh and his cousins spent most of their time in the family room, played video games, and laughed out loud at the latest Family Guy “Star Wars” spoof on DVD.
No doubt that most of us look forward to Christmas. I do realize that we can’t expect such gatherings to be anything like that of TV Land or the big screen.
But in this case, we’re creating out our moments.
So why is it that my moments are more suitable for sitcom?
