Evolution

Evolution does occur. I know this based on years of observation. One of the things I have watched evolve over the years is the way Hubby shops for my gifts. Receiving gifts from Hubby is always a wonderful event but, in addition, it is also an interesting process.

As newly-weds, our budget for purchasing gifts was what one might call paltry. Housing, food, transportation, college tuition, and clothes on backs took priority over gifts for any occasion. So, during those years, Hubby consulted with me and we made joint purchases of inexpensive “gifts” for our home.

As good fortune would have it, that phase of gift-giving was short-lived and, subsequently, I received a variety of lovingly-chosen gifts including, but not limited to, beautiful suits and dresses, shoes, and place settings of my china. Sometimes Hubby made the choices by himself, but often he purchased gifts for me in consultation with our children. I always loved the gifts I received regardless of whether they were chosen by him alone or with the kids on a stealth shopping trip. (And I am extremely grateful that he never gave me a garden tiller for Mother’s Day. Yes, I had a long-ago acquaintance who purchased such a gift for his wife. Soon after, he was single.)

When all of our children flew from the nest and our household again became a two-person abode, I started unwrapping boxes that contained jewelry, cologne, and items to add to my collections. This empty-nesters’ phase was a great period in the evolving process of gift-giving. However, this year at Christmas-time, Hubby’s method of choosing gifts for me evolved to what I consider to be the ultimate phase in gift-giving. He has now become totally clueless about what to give me as a gift and asks what I want.

I’m sure I felt much like a little kid whispering in Santa’s ear as I told Hubby I would really like to have cologne for Christmas. But this revelation presented Hubby with another dilemma. What kind? So he asked me that very question. Thinking that some element of surprise should probably be a part of opening my gift, I wrote the names of two of my favorite colognes on a piece of paper, thus creating a “shopping list” from which he could choose.

When the big day arrived, Hubby proudly handed me a beautifully wrapped box that was much bigger than needed to hold either of the colognes on my list. I don’t think there is even a bottle of cologne that big on the market. Now curious as to whether he might have misplaced my list and tried to wing it from memory, I carefully removed the bow and paper and peeked inside. Imagine my surprise when I discovered both colognes, plus two additional related items, surrounded by pretty tissue paper.

So why, you might ask, were all of these items in my package? The story played out this way: Since Hubby didn’t know which cologne I liked best, he decided to cover his bases by getting both. Enter helpful saleslady in the cosmetics department. Using her knowledge of driven male-types and their innate compulsion to snag the best deal, said lady convinced Hubby that it would be a much better value if he took a packaged set that included not only a bottle of cologne, but shower gel and lotion as well. Bless those pretty ladies who work on commission and charm husbands!

But I should get off of the computer now. I have a birthday coming up soon and I need to make my list. You can trust me when I tell you that my list will contain more than two items!