Holidays gift-giving and receiving are a double edged sword.Something youd never buy for yourself covers a lot of dangerous territory.For instance, I would never buy myself 50 grams of Petrossian caviarand Ive yet to get it.
Id also never buy myself a sweater in a color I hate thats two sizes too big.Thats when I practice that OMG-I-cant-believe-it-but-they-meant-well-I-hope grin until the giver leaves.But sometimes it is right on the money; not necessarily expensive but ones that make us feel really heard and seen by the giver and required a lot of time and effort to secure.My late husband got me the best gift ever about 30 years ago.I am an amateur art historian, so every time Michael and I went to Paris we went to the Louvre so I could pay homage to the giants of the Renaissance Michaelangelo, Rafael and Da Vinci.
One Da Vinci that brought tears to my eyes every time I saw it was The Virgin and Child with St.Anne.To me it is the purest distillation of maternal love through two generations, beautifully executed.And during all three Paris vacations we went to the Louvre gift shopand I couldnt get it.
(This was long before the internet was able to put the world in our mailboxes.) The first time the shop was out of that particular poster.The second time the gift shop was closed on Sunday.The last timethe shop was closed because the staffers were on strike!! I threw my hands in the air and gave up.But Wait!But later that same year, on Christmas, Michael had a big grin as he handed me a large flat package.
My sister-in-law readied her camera, which I thought was odd.When I opened the package, it was the poster, beautifully framed.I started to cry.
Michael explained that he knew someone who was going to Paris and paid for him to buy the poster and bring it to him so he could have it framed.Its still in a place of honor in my apartment and it was the Best.Gift.Ever.YOUR TURNBut thats me.
How about you? What was the best gift you ever got? Share your stories in the comments!Virge Randall is Senior Planets Managing Editor.She is also a freelance culture reporter who seeks out hidden gems and unsung (or undersung) treasures for Straus Newspapers; her blog Dont Get Me Started puts a quirky new spin on Old School New York City.Send Open Thread suggestions to [email protected]
Disclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Senior Savings Deals.
Publisher: Senior Planet ( Read More )
Publisher: Senior Planet ( Read More )
