The month before Christmas usually involves one weekend (though it might stretch to a week) where I do all of my Christmas shopping. The most stress comes from shopping for my wife because I always worry that I'm not finding gifts that she will be thrilled to unwrap. Shopping for my parents, on the other hand, has always been very fun for me. I look for gifts in two categories: gifts that will improve their lives and gifts that they will have fun with. Somehow, ideas always came easily to me to fill both categories.
For my mom, two gifts in particular stand out. The first is the year I gave her the laptop. During the course of the year, she regularly complained that she needed a new computer. She felt it would help her with her job search and to keep up on her pharmacy continuing education requirements. I knew I wanted to get her a laptop for Christmas, so I had to keep insisting to her that she really didn't need a new computer or that she wait for my help in picking one out. I did enough to keep her from buying one for herself, but just barely. She was exasperated from having to wait so long for me to help her find one. Little did she know that, with help from Dad, I got a Black Friday deal on the laptop, so all was set. Her reaction when she unwrapped the gift is one of my most cherished memories. She was taken completely by surprise and overwhelmed by emotion.
Another highlight gift for Mom was the year I got her an iPad. I unwrapped it and loaded it with family photos and her favorite music (Ahmad Jamal). When she unwrapped the iPad, she was stunned. She never thought that she would receive a "cool" apple product. She was in such disbelief that she immediately thought that I must have rewrapped my old iPad box as a trick. She didn't let her guard down until she carefully lifted the iPad out of the unwrapped box. As soon as she realized it was no trick, she gleefully joked about how fancy she was now that she had an iPad. Mom deserved all of the best things in the world.
Last year, I got her a pair of digital photo frames that I am able to update over the internet. I had hoped they would serve two purposes. First, I could send updates on my life over the internet. Mixed in with the photos, however, I would add inspirational messages to remind Mom to exercise. I thought it would be a subtle way of giving her some motivation. I never posted the message though. The time never felt right.
I'm not great at opening gifts. I find it stressful because I'm worried that I won't give the reaction someone is hoping for. But I've learned that being truly thankful for a gift received can be one of the best gifts you give to someone else. Mom was great at that. She had some of the most genuine and emotional reactions to the gifts she received. I really miss thinking of things to get her and seeing the joy she had in opening them.