As a kid, I learned the all-important lesson of gracefully accepting all gifts you receive and expressing the appropriate amount of thanks so that the giver feels appreciated for their efforts.
Granted, the lesson took a few years to fully stick and take hold, but, I’ve kept up with it as I’ve grown up.
Though over the years it’s stemmed less from being generally polite and being grateful for the present or items.
I’d like to think that’s because the gifts I get from family members and close friends are more mindful of the things I like or my overall personality.
There’s something special about even receiving fuzzy socks in your Christmas stocking because you mentioned needing a new pair after your last ones met a puppy-fueled death.
It shows that the giver took the time to note what you wanted or needed and made the effort to get something you wanted.
I can’t say the same for all of the gifts I received this year.
While my brother doles out plush toys, a shirt, anime-themed key chains, and lanyards – there was another surprise gift that none of us were expecting lingering in his hugs.
Little did we know that he was incubating a sinus infection under his usually scruffy and crunchy morning voice.
Plus, he’s really bad about cover
ing his mouth in time for a sneeze when his hands are full of tools to
help replace mom’s kitchen faucet.
It’s also worth noting he had previously been on antibiotics two weeks before coming for Christmas.
The holiday version of the infection first cropped up with my mom and my sister Ashlee because they were the ones in closest proximity to him while he was crammed under the sink.
They also spent more time in the car with him running between all of our local hardware stores for supplies and trying to install the new sink over three days.
While he felt gross, he had a telemedicine appointment and got prescribed a batch of stronger antibiotics and my sister followed suit within 24 hours with her diagnosis.
Two days later I strolled into Matagorda Medical Arts and received the same diagnosis – a sinus infection.
And when I tell you we all took COVID-19 at-home antigen tests just to make sure – we did and we’ve gone through about three whole boxes of tissues before my siblings finally went home.
Luckily, my brother took his illness back to Dallas with him.
Mom made the mistake of asking Ashlee and me in the meantime if we’d have rather had him stay there during Christmas rather than come visit – uh, yeah we would have preferred that over being sick!
But, that’s not saying we didn’t have fun before we got sick – we did – it’s just capping off 2023 with a sinus infection isn’t how I saw myself ringing in the new year.
It’s also the absolute worst Christmas gift I’ve ever received in my 30-plus years of life.
And while it’s less terrible than still hobbling with a walking cast and cane last year – I’m looking forward to 2024’s holiday season passing by without incident and ending up with gifts that don’t make me smell like a walking advertisement for Vick’s VapoRub.
Here’s to hoping your new year is off to a better start than mine!!
