So Christmas did not really start until around 3 or 4 p.m., depending on traffic.
That morning in 2007, I left my sleeping husband in bed and walked downstairs to the living room.
(She often put on the final ornaments and lights as everyone pulled into the driveway.)
Credit:SANNY VAN LOON
She mentioned that she was going to Starbucks and asked if I would like anything.
A latte, maybe, or a bagel?
I walked back upstairs, shut myself in the bathroom, and sobbed.
Elizabeth (front row holding bear) and family.
Now, 17 years into marriage, I know things.
Starbucks does not offerBloody Marys, for one.
I rolled with it.
She not only didnt notice her name, but she also hated the blocks.
And it wasnt like they were ungrateful.
They did need a bigger TV!
But watching the video back in my bedroom later, I cried.
There was an emotional letdown I couldnt put my finger on.
The Christmas Eve Gift
I think my grandmother might have felt the same way.
In my memories, she was always the first one awake.
Wed say back, Christmas Eve gift!
And then wed eatbreakfastand go about our day.
The whole rigmarole made no sense.
The greeting didnt precede an actual gift, unfortunately.
My grandmother didnt pass out presents or even a cookie or a kiss on the head.
My grandmother died in 1999 and took the origins of Christmas Eve gift!
To her grave, as far as I can tell.
If she ever explained the meaning behind our bizarre call-and-response, none of us remember.
My aunts, uncles, and cousins are as baffled as I am.
I have read through pages of odd Southern sayings, and this one is never among them.
Rather, Google returned ideas about unwrappingmatching pajamasto wear to bed that night.
Yet my mom, sister, and I still text one another or call to say Christmas Eve gift!
Every single December 24 like complete weirdos.
What if Christmas Eve was the real gift of the season?
What if Christmas Day was the afterthought?
Christmas Eve is a gift.
Its better than Christmas Day.
There, I said it.
In my soul, its what Ive always felt.
Even the drugstore was peaceful that night.
On Christmas Eve,my very harried lifeof the previous weeks settles, and that is a gift.
I assume my grandmother felt the same way and was singing it to me all along.
