Unexpected Christmas Present

The best present that one can receive is one from the heart. There are many people in my inner circle, who I live to pamper, friends and family alike. I know that they love me by the way they do little and unexpected things for me.

Yesterday, I got the surprise of my life. Nathan will be four in January. He is like most kids his age, affectionate toward his little stuffed animals, and mom and dad. Usually, when it is time for him to go home, his parents prompt him, saying, "give grandma a kiss" which he does. I'll say grandma loves you. He is our only grandson and the joy which he brings cannot be compared in any way as most grandparents tell you, they are special.


We put up two trees yesterday, and after putting up the one in the dining area, he decided that he liked grampy's better. Although it is bigger, it wasn't big enough for him. And, it didn't rotate, or have colored lights like mommy and daddy's tree. The one in the room that he spends most of his time in watching his movies has fiber optic lighting which is colored on the tips and changes color which he likes, especially the orange. Grandma likes the purple.


I took the sleeping Santa out of the box and set him up for Nathan to see. This is a big Santa who's belly rises and falls as he snores away, having boots on the side of his bed, and a calendar marked with a circled date, which is Christmas. He heard the sound and compared it to a truck backing up. Don't ask me...That's what he hears. As Santa snores it sounds like a whistle singing to the tune of jingle bells. Now that he's seen it, it will promptly go back in the box for another year.


I don't have to tell you how excited he is about all the Christmas festivities. We were hoping to take him to see the Clydesdale horses yesterday, but as the storm approached as the gales were coming through with the frigid cold weather, we decided to forgo that idea. He has a train that he puts together, built with blocks and runs manually, pushing it with no track, which he builds and rebuilds, (it's pretty funny looking at times). He spends a great deal of time ridding it around his room making choo choo sounds. Sometimes, he builds it backwards, and pushes it around that way. He is a master of sounds, especially airplane ones and trucks.


Lately he has been watching ice road truckers. He knows the mechanics of trucks and cars and motorcycles as those are his favorite DVD's. He was never the doll type. Yet he loves Betty Boop. You should hear him laugh, it warms you all over. What a sense of humor he has.


A typical boy of almost four, he displays a little "temper" at times. If he had his way, he'd have grandma cooking his favorite foods all day long. But when grandma says no, out comes the pout. In fact yesterday, I thought I heard him throw something at the wall. I am not a push over and so I let him know that grandma will not tolerate that kind of behaviour. "He said he was sorry." At times, he reminds me so much of his father, but the pout is definitely like his mother. Wanting to get his way is just like grandma.

I admit that I am very spoiled and loved, yet I didn't expect Nathan to say "I love you" without being told to. Nor did I expect the kiss on the cheek. It surprised me because it came from him and was sincere.

You can love someone in life and not expect to get any love in return. And, that's okay. But when love is returned or unexpected, it is the greatest of all presents. Knowing how much my grandson loves me is the best gift that I ever hope to receive from him, and I will never tire of it.