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Pop saw a weasel that had been run over lying in the road as he drove home late one night. I was 4 at the time. When he got home, I jumped out of bed and came flying down the stairs to greet him. He told me he had a surprise for me and I squealed with glee. He went out onto the porch and came in with the corpse of the weasel and flopped it down on the washing machine.
I was a little mystified and sad the weasel was dead, but fascinated. My mother was horrified. Pop said you hardly ever saw a weasel in the wild in New Jersey so he wanted to show me what they looked like. I asked if I could keep it and I think my mother nearly lost it at that point.
I still laugh. I'm probably the only kid who got excited to be brought roadkill by her father.
My parents bought me a life-sized teddy bear as my Christmas present when I came home for my first visit from living out of state during my freshman year in college. I was mystified why they found this an appropriate gift for a college freshman who would be flying back to school in a couple of weeks.
A few years later, on my 21st birthday my Dad flew from NJ to Iowa to personally deliver my birthday present that day. It was a sailor dress like one of the Von Trapp kids might have worn. And he took me out for dinner and bought me a glass of champagne. Again, mystified and stunned. That night after he dropped me off I went out to a bar with my friends for my 2nd legal drink that night.
I never quite understood my folks but never doubted their love for me!
When we were packing up to move eight years ago, I brought some things to sell at my parents' garage sale. One of them was a small fondue pot we had gotten as a wedding present in 1995 but never used. My mom put a small green sticker on it and wrote "New!!" It didn't sell and we added it to a pile of stuff to donate. Either that year or the next, after we moved cross-country, my parents sent a large box of presents for Christmas. At the bottom was the wrapped fondue pot, still with the New!! sticker. Since then we have given it back and forth several times. It's in a squarish box that wraps very easily, but the size and heft of it give it away every time.
A couple years ago, my dad came to visit. The fondue pot was already in my possession. I was driving him back to the airport, and we stopped for lunch. I told him I had to make a call for work, stepped out to my car, and stuffed the box into his suitcase. I'd wrapped it in plain newsprint paper and written "HA HA HA" all over it. Since then, my mom visited and hid it in my basement ... I sent it back to them in a box of gifts in October for my mother's and nephew's birthday. It's still in the HA HA paper, and underneath I am sure it still has its New!! sticker. My parents are coming in May so I am sure they will give it back then, if it does not end up in my suitcase when I visit next month.
My father gave me a large metal case meant for storing fishing tackle and/or tools. He said I should keep my jewelry in it.
Another time, my father commissioned a portrait from the Worst Artist in the World of my mom and me, to be based on an informal and terrible snapshot taken of us dressed in loud and clashing t-shirts. Even though my parents were divorced, he gave the painting to my mother for her birthday. The artist gave us huge, open mouths with prominent teeth. This masterwork hangs above my mother's bed to this day. Mom and I call it "Jaws."
Dad has been gone for a long time now, but I sure miss him and his crazy gifts!
When we were packing up to move eight years ago, I brought some things to sell at my parents' garage sale. One of them was a small fondue pot we had gotten as a wedding present in 1995 but never used. My mom put a small green sticker on it and wrote "New!!" It didn't sell and we added it to a pile of stuff to donate. Either that year or the next, after we moved cross-country, my parents sent a large box of presents for Christmas. At the bottom was the wrapped fondue pot, still with the New!! sticker. Since then we have given it back and forth several times. It's in a squarish box that wraps very easily, but the size and heft of it give it away every time.
A couple years ago, my dad came to visit. The fondue pot was already in my possession. I was driving him back to the airport, and we stopped for lunch. I told him I had to make a call for work, stepped out to my car, and stuffed the box into his suitcase. I'd wrapped it in plain newsprint paper and written "HA HA HA" all over it. Since then, my mom visited and hid it in my basement ... I sent it back to them in a box of gifts in October for my mother's and nephew's birthday. It's still in the HA HA paper, and underneath I am sure it still has its New!! sticker. My parents are coming in May so I am sure they will give it back then, if it does not end up in my suitcase when I visit next month.
Great story! It sounds like something my family would do. Every Christmas we have a white elephant and there is this hideous little troll-like sculpture that was on my parent's bar in our family home that they put into the white elephant and that ends up in the pile every single year. It's become a tradition, and avoiding it has become the focus of the game. There also was a rather insulting but hilarious birthday card that ended up being used and reused for years between family members, who would just cross out the name of the last signer, sign below it, and send it off again. I think that ended when there was absolutely no space left to sign.
Great story! It sounds like something my family would do. Every Christmas we have a white elephant and there is this hideous little troll-like sculpture that was on my parent's bar in our family home that they put into the white elephant and that ends up in the pile every single year. It's become a tradition, and avoiding it has become the focus of the game. There also was a rather insulting but hilarious birthday card that ended up being used and reused for years between family members, who would just cross out the name of the last signer, sign below it, and send it off again. I think that ended when there was absolutely no space left to sign.
Your family sounds like they are a lot of fun.
They are pretty funny. The white elephant and reused card totally sound like stuff they would do. My mom and uncle reused the same battered gift bag, passing it back and forth for years and buying presents specifically to fit in it. One year it disappeared and neither could remember who had it last. It was pretty beat-up and had a sad little curl of yellow ribbon on one of the handles.
When we were packing up to move eight years ago, I brought some things to sell at my parents' garage sale. One of them was a small fondue pot we had gotten as a wedding present in 1995 but never used. My mom put a small green sticker on it and wrote "New!!" It didn't sell and we added it to a pile of stuff to donate. Either that year or the next, after we moved cross-country, my parents sent a large box of presents for Christmas. At the bottom was the wrapped fondue pot, still with the New!! sticker. Since then we have given it back and forth several times. It's in a squarish box that wraps very easily, but the size and heft of it give it away every time.
A couple years ago, my dad came to visit. The fondue pot was already in my possession. I was driving him back to the airport, and we stopped for lunch. I told him I had to make a call for work, stepped out to my car, and stuffed the box into his suitcase. I'd wrapped it in plain newsprint paper and written "HA HA HA" all over it. Since then, my mom visited and hid it in my basement ... I sent it back to them in a box of gifts in October for my mother's and nephew's birthday. It's still in the HA HA paper, and underneath I am sure it still has its New!! sticker. My parents are coming in May so I am sure they will give it back then, if it does not end up in my suitcase when I visit next month.
My dad taught me to drive in his truck when I was about 5, does that count?
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They are pretty funny. The white elephant and reused card totally sound like stuff they would do. My mom and uncle reused the same battered gift bag, passing it back and forth for years and buying presents specifically to fit in it. One year it disappeared and neither could remember who had it last. It was pretty beat-up and had a sad little curl of yellow ribbon on one of the handles.
