After Christmas

I couldn’t stop crying on Christmas. Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and laughter. And yet, I couldn’t stop crying. The tears came from feeling overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with emotion. Overwhelmed with sentiment. Overwhelmed with appreciation.

It was Christmas morning and we were opening gifts. We’ve all heard it said, It’s better to give than to receive. And for me, this is quite true. I’d much rather give a gift than to receive one. Giving a gift brings so much joy. Even so, as I write this I am looking at Baby Yoda—stuffed Baby Yoda, of course—a gift from my husband, and it makes me so happy.

But Baby Yoda was not the reason I was crying on Christmas, nope. As cute as he is he didn’t invoke tears.

The reason for my tears on Christmas was due to another gift from my husband.

He bought me a new laptop.

I can hear you sigh and say, Really, tears over a laptop?

It wasn’t the laptop which brought the avalanche of tears, it was what my husband said after I opened this gift. He said, “I used my Christmas bonus to buy this for you.” That’s what got me crying.

He had asked me about a month ago if I wanted a new laptop, and I told him, No, I’m good. But then he said something about the one I have being old and way past its shut down date. I wasn’t overly concerned about it. But obviously he was.

And he used his bonus to buy me a new one.

I can’t even tell how long I cried for. All I know is as all the other gifts were being opened by family, I was still crying. And later, when my son called to FaceTime, yup, still crying. I just felt so overwhelmed by his unselfish and kind gift.

What it said to me was, I love you. And after 38 years that message still overwhelms me. He loves me, me, with all my flaws and slightly neurotic ways and nuttiness. Me. He takes me as I am—defective and all.

How about you?

Did you receive a gift which pulled at your heartstrings?

Did you receive the message behind the gifts you received?

I hope this Christmas season gave you the message that you are loved.

And I hope you gave your loved ones the message of how loved they are.

“Dear friends, let us love one another.”

– 1 John 4:7

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