Christmas time is a happy time. I usually start looking for gifts for Christmas two or three months in advance. As a note, I have learned that functional gifts, like shovels or steam irons, aren’t necessarily the best for Nancy. But, by Christmas week I have two or three gifts for Nancy which I think are really super. So, I wrap them up and hope for the best.
But, I know what the greatest gift is. No matter how clever I have been, I know what is going to give her the greatest thrill. I can, in fact, hear the whirring of kitchen devices and see the wafting of flour as we speak. I know that in several hours there will be Christmas treats du jour available to eat and give away as presents. It reminds me of the Peanuts character who left behind a trail of incredible devastation. It is amazing, but true, that you could find baking flour on the top of a smoke alarm mounted 18 feet above the kitchen floor.
And, of course, I am the official cleaner upper. That I believe is my greatest gift.