I really did try!

Den is so hard to buy for because he won't tell me what he wants!

But last week I actually heard him say he sure wished he had some wireless ear buds. I thought... perfect!

So Friday night we go to Costco to buy some fruit and pick up a few gifts for the grandkids. While he parks the car. I go inside and there just happens to be this lady promoting wireless ear buds...I tell her, “My husband wants these for Christmas. But I don’t want him to see them so I can’t put them in my cart. He’s parking the car now.” 

She says to me, “I’ll you what... after you get all finished shopping have your husband go to the car and tell him, “Sorry I forgot something. This will be real quick.” Then come back in and purchase them.” Okay, I thought, that’s a plan. 

Just as I’m walking away from her I see Den enter the front door of Costco and he goes right to the ear bud display like a child goes to candy. The ear bud lady looks at me from afar as if to say, is this your husband? I laugh and point to Den as if to say, you got that right! I then raise my voice so Den can hear me and say to him, “Come on, we’ve got to get shopping!” 

So we go all over the store finding those few things we needed when suddenly Den says he feels sick and needs to find a bathroom. Off he goes. I continue the shopping. He calls several minutes later and says he’s not doing well. Of course I feel sorry for him but I’m thinking, hey take advantage of this, maybe I can sneak those ear buds in after all. But the front of the store where they are is quite a distance and I don’t know when Den will appear again. So I decide to go to checkout. 

As the guy is scanning my items I tell the helper girl I sure wish I could buy some ear buds for my husband that I saw in a display upfront...thinking she might offer to get someone to go pick up a pair for me. 

Instead she says they have some right there. Really?  Great I’ll take a pair! They ring them up, and then hand me an ear bud “card” and tell me I need to go to customer pick up to get them. Oh man, I tell her, “But my husband will appear any minute! I can’t do that.” She says, “hurry over there...hardly any waiting right now, you can do it!” 

Den calls again and he’s looking for me. I tell him, “I know you aren’t feeling well. Just go out to the car and I’ll pay for everything.“ No he doesn’t want to do that. I nearly beg. No he wants to be with me. Where is he exactly...I don’t know, so I don’t know how much time I’ll have before I get to customer pickup. I hurry over there....a girl standing there, for some reason offers to let me go before her. Maybe I looked desperate. I thank her! Hey, I think this is going to work. I look around. Can’t see Den anywhere. Good! 

Then it’s my turn in line and I give my receipt to the man and he hands me the ear buds. I feel like I’m doing something illegal as I push them down into my purse and then put my wallet on top of the ear buds making sure Den won’t be able to see them. Feeling very relieved. I did it! Then suddenly I see him coming towards me. What perfect timing. I pulled this surprise off after all!

We walk to the exit door together. The man there with black curly hair asks to see our receipt as they always do before letting anyone out. He looks it over, and then looks down at our cart. “Ear buds? Where are the ear buds?” he asks while looking down at the receipt again to verify them. 

I move a little back so Den can’t see my face and I look at the curly haired man and point to Den while making the SHH sign with my finger against my lips. He looks right at me! But does this help? NO! The curly man continues, “I need to see the ear buds.” Den suddenly gets an uncomfortable smile on his face. 

The curly man blew my secret. I say to him, “This was suppose to be his Christmas present!” Then I look at Den and say, “Sorry honey!” The curly man throws his arms up in the air and says, “I had to ask!” 

“Yeah I know,” I said. I felt I should also say Merry Christmas to the curly man but I didn’t feel like it. Because I was a little mad. By the time we walk out to the car I’m over my anger and I wish I had! 


Don’t be like me. Say Merry Christmas this month as many times as opportunity comes. I love doing this! (usually) It’s interesting how many will say, “Thank you” or “same to you” or Happy Holidays” or even mumbled something. 

Then there’s that rare one here and there who will actually smile and say Merry Christmas back. 

Who would have thought 20 years or so ago this would even be an issue! Some will say we need to put Christ back into Christmas. He’s never left ours, and he’s probably not left yours either.

Merry Christmas!



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, you really did try! The end result is that Dennis got the desired gift plus the gift of your love through your persistence in obtaining the perfect gift. And as always you find a way to turn negative feelings into a lesson of kindness.

Merry Christmas, Jill! (pjc)

Anonymous said...

i was there. i was curly man.

grandmapeg said...

It's hard to surprise Craig with any Christmas gift because he is always around or he's just got the intuition of what I want to get him so he says, "hey, you could always get me this" and it's exactly what I was getting him. That would be frustrating with the checkout guy, but you tried!

Look what happened last night

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