Almsot A Spoiled Christmas Part 2

Yesterday I told you how much I LOVE giving Christmas presents. I told you how I totally ruined Mom’s surprise; well…Dad’s was a close call.

My dad is fun to give Christmas presents too because he is pretty easy to buy for. He has hobbies. (Watch me eat my words when he already has what I bought him this year or he just doesn’t like it.)

Dad is funny on Christmas because unlike mom, he can’t wait to tear into his presents. He sits in his recliner (usually with his coat on, jeans and boots because he has already washed all three vehicles, mowed the lawn, trimmed the bushes, swept the garage, drank a cup of coffee and read the paper, paid a Christmas visit to the Harley Store, built a deck, wired ten new receptacles at Lynn’s house, changed out the light bulbs in the vaulted ceiling of the church sanctuary, ate a bowl of Corn Flakes, and deer hunted for three hours….all while the rest of us are still waking up and sitting down to our first cup of coffee.) Anyways, while Blair and I are just getting to our first gift from mom and dad, as mom watches us open, Dad already has his pocket knife out and about to cut into his presents. Yes, he does pull out his pocket knife to cut through the wrapping paper. Must make him feel a little manlier when opening gifts! Mom then yells “Scott…it’s not your turn, wait till the girls are finished!”
It makes me laugh; it’s dad and that’s why I love him more than he will ever know.

So…back to ruining Dad’s surprise present.

It’s Sunday December 6th and “Charleston” and I are on our way back from Raleigh to Greensboro from Ashley and Paul’s wedding. I had yet to get Dad a Christmas gift but I had something in mind that I wanted. Since I was in Greensboro for a couple hours and in the company of “Charleston” who loves the same outdoor activities as dad, I decided to capitalize on the opportunity. We headed the car straight for Gander Mountain. Sweet, I was about to check one more person off my list!

In the car I started telling “Charleston” how much my dad loves Gander Mountain and how I am guaranteed to find something there he will like. We pull into the store parking lot and since I take after my dad in more ways than one, I instruct “Charleston” to park the car in the back of the parking lot because I don’t want anyone to give me door dingys. (Ok maybe two things I take after dad, I park in the back of parking lots and I like to “instruct” others….hum) As “Charleston” was pulling the key out of the ignition, I said, “It would not surprise me if dad were here right now; I swear he comes here all the time.” I open my door, put both feet on the ground, step out of the car, and look up. Sure-as-sh*t, there dad stands on the other side of the parking lot with Glen, looking right at me and laughing. He totally did not expect me to be in Greensboro, let alone at Gander Mountain! Small little world. Mom said he had gotten kind of bored that afternoon so he called Glen to see if he wanted to run to Gander Mountain because he needed a new gun cleaning kit. That’s what I call perfect timing.

Now, dad was on his way out and I was on my way in…if only our encounter were several minutes one way or the other, either we would have totally missed each other or we would have been in Gander Mountain at the same time and he would have seen what I was picking out for him! Or . . . I could have just stood at the register with him and paid for the gun cleaning kit he was purchasing! That’s really the way to complete your holiday shopping! I mean who buys themselves presents around the holidays anyways??!!!

That surprise present disaster, avoided…barely.