Scents With A Story: Christmas Eve Gift

Just like most other families, we have had a tradition that I think may have started right after God turned the lights on. Ok, probably not that early, but I’m not sure that any of us know the true origin.

The Jones/Gardner/Johnston family had just a touch of a competitive spirit about them, and as Christmas Eve rolled around each year, there would be schemes being planned as to how each person would win the illustrious game of “Christmas Eve Gift”. You see, the goal of this game was to be the first person to say said phrase to anyone else in the family.

If you got a phone call on Christmas Eve (back before caller ID) then you could rest assured it was someone trying to catch you not paying attention because there would be no friendly, “Hello” on the other end of the line, but a bolstering “Christmas Eve Gift!” In your ear.

There were many methods of getting Christmas Eve Gift on unsuspecting family members and as new spouses joined our family over the years, they too were subjected to our crazy competition.

With the advancements of technology, there have been many debates as to whether or not electronic forms of communication are acceptable or not, but nonetheless it’s all fun and games.

Now, you may have been wondering what on earth could the prize be for someone to go to such great lengths to play this game. And one would think that there would be something worthwhile for the athletic abilities to scheme and plan like this. Legend has it that whoever wins the game is supposed to give the other person a gift, but I’ve never seen that happen. But I can tell you that we’ve had many a laugh and good time with trying to be the winner.

So if you’re reading this on December 24, I must say to you, “Christmas Eve Gift!”