Monday, November 24, 2008

Best Christmas Presents - The Other Side


Yesterday, as part of a contest at The Present Professor, I posted about one of my best Christmas presents - a lesson learned. But I have to admit that the material side of me is aching to tell one of the best stories ever. And since it will haunt my brain until I type it up, I just need to do it. As I said in my contest post, I've been blessed with a wonderful husband that tends to buy me the things he thinks I would want.

When we first moved to California from Iowa, DH moved in September and I followed at Thanksgiving. I wanted to get used to being there so we agreed that I wouldn't look for work until after the first of the year. I spent my days basking in the non-snow weather, watching Los Angeles TV shows, surfing the internet, swimming in the apartment pool and using the apartment gym, walking the mile to the downtown shops, having coffee at the downtown coffee shop, going to the small grocery store and even played bingo at the center once. We only had one car so I was limited on where I could go, but I was okay with that. It was a new place, new things to do, an entirely new life.

The plan was for me to start looking for a job after the first of the year. In December, we stopped by some car dealerships to test drive a few cars to get some idea of what I might want to own. I didn't really have a preference as long is it was trustworthy and had lots of gadgets, compartments and pockets.

On Christmas morning, I received an awesome Christmas gift - a video camera. It was one of the first presents DH had me unwrap because he wanted me to be able to record our first California Christmas. One of the last presents I opened was a set of keys. Video camera in-hand, DH walked me out to the parking lot. There, in our carport was a Pontiac Bonneville... with a giant red bow on the top. It was an absolute dream; a car as a Christmas present. And the bow? I had always commented that those giant bows were the coolest and DH remembered that. So he told the salesman when he bought the car that it needed to have a giant red bow.

What made this extra special is that DH had managed to pick out the car, make the arrangements for the loan, get the car delivered and the keys under the tree - all without me having the slightest clue. He's quite a guy, let me tell you. In reality, I should have posted this story for the contest, but I didn't want to seem shallow. It wasn't the fact that he got me a car for Christmas that was great... it was the fact that he cared enough to make the holiday perfect.

3 comments:

  • Unknown

    I have always loved those big red bows too! I am very inpressed that he pulled all of that off without you knowing -- I have always wondered how people did that! Props to the hubby!

  • Sarah

    That is so cool! It is like a car commercial or something. :-) What a great husband you have.....can you ask him to give my hubby a call? :-) Mine has no clue how to surprise people. (God bless em....)

  • Anonymous

    Your hubby is so romantic. That took him a great deal of work to manage the surprise for you, without giving out a bit of clue! May be you should ask him to call my hubby to.....he lacks these features :( I am jealous lol.

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