My Advent Calendar- Day Thirteen
Writing every day is really hard. I got behind, obviously.
December: A Love Story
Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who both worked at the San Antonio branch of Nationwide Insurance. They became friends very quickly and by July they were dating. During a business trip to Hawaii in October, the man proposed to the woman on the beach either at sunset or sunrise (the details are unimportant; just imagine a pretty sky). Even though he didn't have a ring yet, the woman very happily said yes. They later picked out a beautiful ring together, not a traditional engagement ring, but an oval sapphire surrounded by diamond chips. On December 13, the woman's 30th birthday, they eloped. Their ceremony was a simple one, in a beautiful chapel in San Antonio, with only the minister and the photographer present. Her whole life, the woman had had to celebrate her birthday in conjunction with Christmas and often only received one present instead of two. So when she married the man, she made him promise that every December, he would give her a separate present for her birthday, for their anniversary, and for Christmas.
The following December the couple celebrated their first anniversary. When it came time to exchange presents, the man handed his wife a single box. She raised her eyebrows at him and asked if he remembered his promise from when they were married. He said that he did. She asked where the other presents were, but he only shrugged and pushed the single box towards her. Trying to remain calm despite her irritation, the woman opened her present. Sparkling in front of her were diamond and sapphire earrings to match her engagement ring. She beamed at her husband. "You can give me one present like this every year."
Time passed. The couple moved around a bit, and the woman gave birth to three children. At some point (and no one remembers exactly when) the man gave his wife a delicate necklace, with a small diamond and sapphire pendant that matched her earrings and engagement ring. Eventually the couple ended up in California, but the man wasn't very happy living there.
One day the man surprised his wife by taking her out for a champagne brunch aboard a fancy cruise ship docked at the coast. He arranged a baby-sitter for the children so that the two of them could have a romantic date, for no special occasion at all. The two had a lovely time together, and at the end of the meal, the man took out a small box and handed it to the woman. "What's this for?" she asked. He just smiled and told her to open it. Inside laid a sparkling diamond and sapphire bracelet. "Oh, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed. Her husband fastened the bracelet around her wrist, took both her hands in his, stared lovingly into her blue eyes, and said, "Darling, we're moving back to my hometown in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina."
Their 25th wedding anniversary was going to be special. The woman wanted them to renew their vows with their family and their closest friends present, since they had eloped instead of having a wedding. But nothing ever really goes according to plan, and that December, their oldest child was in France, and the woman was in the hospital, recovering from knee surgery. Money was tight that year, as it was for many families across the world, struggling during the recession. The woman didn't expect much for her birthday or for their anniversary except for a card, a cake, and maybe a new pair of shoes. But her husband and her two sons came into her hospital room that day, seemingly without any cards or presents. She hadn't expected much, but she thought they would bring something. Her husband told her to close her eyes, and when she did, he fastened something around her neck. When she opened her eyes, a new sapphire and diamond necklace graced her throat, in a completely different (yet still complementary) style to her other pieces of fine jewelry. She immediately burst into tears. Even after 25 years, her husband could still surprise her with how much he loved her. Even her sons looked a little misty-eyed. "But we can't afford this!" she exclaimed. "Maybe not," he said, "but there are more important things than money." When her daughter called her later that night from France, the woman was still a little sniffly as she told the story. Later that December, when the daughter was home for Christmas, she tried very hard to convince her mother to let her borrow the new necklace to wear to the debutante ball, but her mother just laughed and said it was never coming off.
The end.
Happy birthday, Mom! Happy anniversary, Mom & Daddy! Thank you for being such wonderful parents. I hope my future marriage is half as happy & successful as y'all's has been. I love y'all.
December: A Love Story
Once upon a time there was a man and a woman who both worked at the San Antonio branch of Nationwide Insurance. They became friends very quickly and by July they were dating. During a business trip to Hawaii in October, the man proposed to the woman on the beach either at sunset or sunrise (the details are unimportant; just imagine a pretty sky). Even though he didn't have a ring yet, the woman very happily said yes. They later picked out a beautiful ring together, not a traditional engagement ring, but an oval sapphire surrounded by diamond chips. On December 13, the woman's 30th birthday, they eloped. Their ceremony was a simple one, in a beautiful chapel in San Antonio, with only the minister and the photographer present. Her whole life, the woman had had to celebrate her birthday in conjunction with Christmas and often only received one present instead of two. So when she married the man, she made him promise that every December, he would give her a separate present for her birthday, for their anniversary, and for Christmas.
The following December the couple celebrated their first anniversary. When it came time to exchange presents, the man handed his wife a single box. She raised her eyebrows at him and asked if he remembered his promise from when they were married. He said that he did. She asked where the other presents were, but he only shrugged and pushed the single box towards her. Trying to remain calm despite her irritation, the woman opened her present. Sparkling in front of her were diamond and sapphire earrings to match her engagement ring. She beamed at her husband. "You can give me one present like this every year."
Time passed. The couple moved around a bit, and the woman gave birth to three children. At some point (and no one remembers exactly when) the man gave his wife a delicate necklace, with a small diamond and sapphire pendant that matched her earrings and engagement ring. Eventually the couple ended up in California, but the man wasn't very happy living there.
One day the man surprised his wife by taking her out for a champagne brunch aboard a fancy cruise ship docked at the coast. He arranged a baby-sitter for the children so that the two of them could have a romantic date, for no special occasion at all. The two had a lovely time together, and at the end of the meal, the man took out a small box and handed it to the woman. "What's this for?" she asked. He just smiled and told her to open it. Inside laid a sparkling diamond and sapphire bracelet. "Oh, you shouldn't have!" she exclaimed. Her husband fastened the bracelet around her wrist, took both her hands in his, stared lovingly into her blue eyes, and said, "Darling, we're moving back to my hometown in the middle of nowhere in South Carolina."
Their 25th wedding anniversary was going to be special. The woman wanted them to renew their vows with their family and their closest friends present, since they had eloped instead of having a wedding. But nothing ever really goes according to plan, and that December, their oldest child was in France, and the woman was in the hospital, recovering from knee surgery. Money was tight that year, as it was for many families across the world, struggling during the recession. The woman didn't expect much for her birthday or for their anniversary except for a card, a cake, and maybe a new pair of shoes. But her husband and her two sons came into her hospital room that day, seemingly without any cards or presents. She hadn't expected much, but she thought they would bring something. Her husband told her to close her eyes, and when she did, he fastened something around her neck. When she opened her eyes, a new sapphire and diamond necklace graced her throat, in a completely different (yet still complementary) style to her other pieces of fine jewelry. She immediately burst into tears. Even after 25 years, her husband could still surprise her with how much he loved her. Even her sons looked a little misty-eyed. "But we can't afford this!" she exclaimed. "Maybe not," he said, "but there are more important things than money." When her daughter called her later that night from France, the woman was still a little sniffly as she told the story. Later that December, when the daughter was home for Christmas, she tried very hard to convince her mother to let her borrow the new necklace to wear to the debutante ball, but her mother just laughed and said it was never coming off.
The end.
Happy birthday, Mom! Happy anniversary, Mom & Daddy! Thank you for being such wonderful parents. I hope my future marriage is half as happy & successful as y'all's has been. I love y'all.