Letter Gifts

“Are we doing letter gifts this year?”
            It’s December and a bit late in the season to be going out to buy more presents. If we remember, than we remember, If we don’t, we don’t.

“Of course!” My mom exclaimed. She enjoys family traditions the most.

My sister, Heidi, went to work. She is the practical one.

Heidi grabbed paper, pencil, scissors, and two hats. She wrote the alphabet on the paper. She cut out each individual letter, and sprinkled them into the hat. She wrote down the names of everyone in the immediate family; Jess, Joe, Mom, Dad, and Heidi. She cut these out also, and then sprinkled them in hat number two.

She danced around the house, “Pick your names! Pick your names!” Mom was in the kitchen, mulling over a cookie recipe. Dad was in the living room watching a show on his laptop. I sat on the couch reading a book. Jess was on her laptop also, doing “college stuff.”

We all picked our names as Heidi came up to us. Jess and I rolled our eyes at each other as Heidi hopped from one person to another, overly excited.

“Now pick your letters!” Heidi pronounced, grabbing the other hat and giving the letters one last mix.

We picked our letters. My person was Dad, and my letters were “S” and “T.” I had to make sure nobody knew who I had. Jess always found out somehow. I had to make sure this year she didn’t. I put the letters in my wallet so I would remember which ones I picked.

Throughout the next couple of weeks everyone shopped presents. The presents had to start with the letters they picked. It’s hard to maneuver when and where to go shopping, especially when I can’t drive yet. I can’t go with my dad, for obvious reasons, and I don’t want Jess to know either, because she always finds out somehow. That leaves my mom and Heidi. Heidi can’t keep a secret. I end up telling my mom. She won’t tell anyone.

I say, “Can you take me to the mall? I need to shop for my letter present.”

“Sure, Sure. Who do you have? I won’t tell.”

“Why do you want to know?”

“I just want to help.”

“Okay fine, but don’t tell anyone. I have dad, and my letters are ‘S’ and ‘T.’ What should I get him?”

“Oh don’t worry I won’t, and I don’t know that’s a tough one. We’ll figure something out.”

Christmas Eve comes fast. My Grandma comes over and the smell of welsh cookies on the skillet fills the air. The fire is going in the fire place. My dad is putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. My two sisters and I are sitting on the couch ready to open our letter presents.

“Are you guys ready yet?” One of us yells out every couple of minutes. We are growing impatient. Our letter presents we open tonight, and tomorrow we open the rest. It helps to curb the excitement for the Christmas morning presents. We sleep a lot better this way.

The adults filter in one at a time and give us our presents, but we don’t open them yet. Jess guesses who we all had to buy presents for. We reveal that she was right one by one. Then my mom says to go ahead and open them, and we do. We all tell each other what letters we had, and the presents are goofy because they had to start with letters like “X” and “Q.” It’s all so much fun.

We sit on the couch into the late hours of the night watching Christmas movies and eating fudge and welsh cookies. Then we all fall asleep when our fatigue overcomes our anxiousness for Christmas.