I gave my husband a good laugh this year with gifting. I found a shirt of a band he loves Kreator, that plays on one of their songs ‘Satan is real’ with the red scrawlings of Santa is real on the back and a large menacing Santa face on the front. He loves it.
His folks also gave him a massive suprise. We open gifts the night before and they gave us a call from their Mexican resort around 7 to open up their gift . Inside there was a bag of lovely clothes for the kid and three custom thermos, but it was what was inside of the thermos that left us all shocked. The husband pulled out a printout that says student loan debt with the words crossed out in bright red. He’s stunned right and checks the website to verify what’s been done, and they really did it, they paid off 20,000. In student loan debt. In return though we have to make sure we get our essentials organized to join them in Mexico next year and with the savings their gift provides and the profit sharing he now gets at his job, it’s actually possible now.
We’ve never known his folks to be flamboyant lavish , and I tell him it probably was something they planned for awhile but only if he hit the right milestones like sticking around with a good job, taking care of family, finance, and home. Looks like he done good.
The actual day of the holiday we visited my dad and his wife for a steak dinner and mashed potatoes. Their house is mostly packed up for the upcoming move to Florida.
There’s still this disgusting strip of fly tape hanging over the dining room table covered in flies, his wife makes her usual ‘jokes’ about not wanting us around. Her son who lives in a renovated version of my old room isn’t around, he left with his girlfriend to go see her Kansas family. There’s still some good points though, the kid is laughing while she plays chase with her dad and my dad’s dog Coda in the yard. The movie was good and my dad does seem happy to have us visit to catch up, he always says we’re welcome any time but really that’s not the case. However I know his wife is the one to take the time to choose gifts for us. Sometimes I think her abrasiveness is more of a cultural divide in humor but then I remember the fly strip and realize that doesn’t quite fit either. For their gifts in turn I brought them a big box of food, frozen meats and whatnot since they’re in the moving process.
We watch Don’t look up as we eat and as we leave make loose plans for New Years visiting pending knowing the husband’s work schedule.
Back home we end the night watching Major Payne and it’s a good day.