Remembering Gifts

Do you remember the gift you received on your 9th birthday? Was it something you still have? Are there specific birthday presents you remember and have kept for a keepsake?

My father gave me a gray hat with a white rabbit pompom and gray gloves that matched when I was 9 years old. I still have both of them. It was the only time he ever went shopping on his own for gifts.

Like most families, my mother did the gift shopping and wrapping. Mothers who didn’t work had more free time to do those types of chores and they most often knew their children’s preferences more than the fathers because of the amount of time they spent together.

I treasure the hat and gloves and when I wore them I took very special care of them. To this day I have kept them in a sealed bag to protect them ever since. I pull them out of the bag every once in awhile and hold them and think about how special the gifts made me feel. I don’t know if my father ever bought anyone else a gift, other than my mother. I wonder why or what occurred to inspire him to do such a wonderful thing?