Annie was a great gal. Her only niece Margo remembers, as I do, a ‘cornucopia’ of Christmas presents that Anne Van Buren mailed from Colorado to our homes. However my sister-in-law insisted on specific Christmas tree rules.
To wit:
NO presents opened before Christmas morning. Excepting when the northern cat smelled the ‘nip’ wrapped and sent by the Colorado feline who always signed as ‘Claws.’
ONLY one present from ‘Auntie’ or ‘Sister.’ All other wrapped presents came from famous people.
Tiger Woods sent golf balls.
Captain Kidd mailed sailing togs.
Charlie Dickens sent a writing desk ornament.
A winter scarf came from Admiral Byrd, commander of the South Pole expedition.
And Bill Shakespeare never forgot you.
Margo remembers her Auntie always sent a present from someone in family history. Each year her mother received some gift from her high-school boyfriend.
“For us kids, there were often wee toys or ornaments tied to the outside of the packages, a sneak preview sometimes of what might lay inside.
We also managed to overrule the ‘no presents before Christmas morning.’ We begged to open the one smallest present on Christmas Eve. Aunt Annie then began sending a least one very small present to fulfill this role, since not much got past her clever creativity.”
We made notes of what famous people sent presents. Clever Annie telephoned before Christmas Day lunch. You were expected to thank the notorious givers. Annie then thanked all the famous givers on our presents to her. She trained us well.
Won’t be the same this year. Annie’s gone. No presents will come from Abraham Lincoln or Albert Einstein or Marilyn Monroe. No cat to turn over the tree if you put Claw’s present too far up.
But “Yes Virginia” at least one present will be signed ‘Santa Claus, North Pole.’
Image by rawpixel from Pixabay
