I'm sitting here in my office wrapping presents. I have always been a terrible present wrapper. I blame my father, who was also a terrible present wrapper. When we were kids he worked at a bank as a VP and had a secretary. Her name was Pat Estes and then later Patty (but I don't remember her last name) and they were beautiful present wrappers. Especially Pat, she was an amazing Present wrapper. Dad rarely did any of the actual shopping I think. I think he sent Pat to the store to buy the presents for my mom and they would appear under the tree wrapped for her and they were beautiful. One year he actually went shopping. I honestly don't remember if he shopped for me or for me, but I remember he brought home a present and put it under the tree and it was the ugliest wrapped present I'd ever seen. I quickly said that it must have been dad wrapped. He agreed that yes, he had indeed wrapped that present himself. He thought it was funny, so I must have been wrong enough that saying the present was dad wrapped was cute. But after that it kind of became a thing. He would dad wrap at least one thing a year after that.
Over the last few years, I'm pretty sure his wife, Shirely did any wrapping, but usually our gifts came in gift bags. So no dad wrapped presents...but there is one thing we always got for Christmas that required no wrapping and that was "the coin" Even last year before Dad was put on the ventilator (a year ago tomorrow) He reminded Shirley to be sure and get the coin for our Christmas. The doctors had told Dad it would be temporary and he believed with all his heart he'd be around at Christmas but he knew that the days the bank would be opened were numbered so he had to make sure we got our coin...and we did.
This is the second Christmas without him, but the first Christmas that it has really sunk in. Mostly I have been ok, except when some sweet person asks me if I'm ok and then I have to think about it and I get sad all over again. Like just now wrapping presents and remembering how bad I am at it. Christmas will arrive and I will keep the tradition of the cinnamon roll...I didn't do it last year. I was just too sad. Dad left us on the 23rd as we drove home from Missouri, and then we have had such a crazy year since. So, I'm determined to get back into the swing of things. Dad loved Christmas and I'm determined not to be sad.
