Media Medley Blog

I didn’t get a Christmas present this year.
I married my husband 13 years ago today. We settled on a simple gold band back then since our funds were spent on our families and the wedding.
By the time we paid for everyone’s Las Vegas hotel rooms, rental cars, and the wedding ceremony, etc., we were tapped. We were our present to each other.

I didn’t get a Christmas present this year.
Six years ago today, we sat on the floor in an empty house. Our first brand new house. We’d finally at the ripe old age of 41 had been able to afford a house, but had nothing left for even a piece of stick. The house was our present to each other.

I didn’t get a Christmas present this year.
I gave my husband grief for weeks. He had declared “No Christmas this year - We are going on vacation as our present.” We didn’t decorate the yard, we didn’t put up a tree. But we couldn’t go on vacation at Christmas since our business was busy. So, at the last minute, we put off the vacation plans until spring time. By the time that was decided, there was no time left for me to plan and shop for a traditional Christmas. So we agreed we’d do just a simple stocking stuffer event ($20 max) on Christmas Eve.

I didn’t get a Christmas present this year.
But my husband gave me an Anniversary present today.
He gave me a beautiful diamond ring. And that’s when I cried.

I don’t think I’ll be getting paint brushes from Santa this year.

Hubby came home from Christmas shopping this afternoon. He walked over to my painting area, stared, sighed, shook his head, and walked away with his shoulders slumped.

So of course I had to ask him what that was about. Here’s what his story brought to life in my mind:

It turns out my husband had the wonderful idea that I would enjoy new paint brushes. (Yes!). He even thought that they would even look pretty cool sticking up in different lengths out of the stocking that’s hung by our chimney with care. (Who says my hubby’s not artist?!?)

He happily went to Hobby Lobby. A man assured of success. A man pleased with his perceptive plan of pleasing his wife.

He jauntily strode up to the Hobby Lobby paint brush aisle. And spied a whole long ROW of paint brushes. My husband stopped in shock and tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

He saw an overwhelming array of angular brushes, bright brushes, flat brushes, fan brushes and more. His mind began to swirl in confusion. What WERE all these different shaped brushes? Why were there so many of them? Were they all different? And all of the sizes! What were they for? Which ones would his wife want?

And yet, after half an hour of confusion, salvation may yet be at hand. There! A pack of brushes! Yeah! This could work! There must be at least one brush that his wife would like in this pack.

But oh NO! Wait! This pack says the brushes are for watercolor. Wife doesn’t paint with watercolor, does she? Does she? What is it that she paints with? What’s this acrylic paint brush, fur paint brush, and sable paint brush?

“AAAAAaaaaagggggghhhhh!” screamed my husband in despair as he retreated from the art store.

I suppose asking a clerk for advice on paint brushes is as much taboo as asking for directions when lost.