Christmas 1965
Christmas was always a wondrous time of the year for Elaine. She
loved everything about it. She loved the smell of the fresh Christmas tree they
bought at Wolf Nursery, putting up the lights and decorations, the music, the
television specials, and the daydreams about what Santa Claus might bring her.
The first Christmas Elaine remembered was when she was four years old
in 1965. There was a red tricycle she had seen at Levine’s that she very much wanted
for Christmas that year. She didn’t think she would get it, however, because it was quite
expensive and she didn’t feel she had been good enough that year to deserve
such a wonderful gift. She soon forgot her deep yearning for the tricycle when
one day Daddy told Elaine that he and Judy had bought Mother a new wedding ring
and they needed her help with wrapping it up in a big box to surprise Mother.
The wedding ring Mother had worn ever since she and Daddy married in 1934 was
nearly worn thin and she had put it away before it wore out entirely. To Elaine
it looked like a simple little gold ring, almost looking like a ring you could
get out of a box of Cracker Jacks, but to Mother it was the most precious thing
she owned. She told Elaine how beautiful it was when she received it on her
wedding day. The ring had finely etched
flowers twined all around it and had been wider then. She had worn it every day
for over 30 years. The flowers had long since worn off and the ring was
thinning rapidly so she had put it away that year before it was all gone.
Mother’s wedding ring wearing out and her putting it away that
year was sadly symbolic. Mother and Daddy recently had a rough time of it with
regard to their marriage. They were always arguing and sometimes even yelling
at each other, which scared Elaine. She couldn’t imagine what would happen if
her parents decided to split up. One day Elaine’s parents’ fight was so bad
that Mother had packed herself, Judy, and Elaine up in the car and driven to
Hobbs, NM, muttering about divorce with bitter tears. By the next morning
Mother’s anger had dissolved, so they once again packed up the car and then drove
back to Lubbock. Elaine was very relieved about that!
After the trip to Hobbs, the fights between Mother and Daddy
stopped, but they were still not as happy and sweet as they were before their
trouble. The household was tense and Mother no longer kissed Daddy when he left
for work each morning, which made Elaine sad. Daddy decided it was time to
declare his love for Mother once again so he bought a beautiful wide white gold
ring with a band of little diamonds on the top. He wanted to surprise Mother. He
knew if he just wrapped the little jewelry box, Mother would immediately know
what the gift was so he asked Judy and Elaine for help in disguising the gift.
First they took the little jewelry box the ring came in and wrapped it in a
bigger box. Then they took that bigger box and wrapped it in a bigger one and
then a bigger one until finally it was in a very big box almost as big as
Elaine herself. They put some heavy things in the big box to further disguise
the wedding ring. Elaine was so excited about this great secret that she could
hardly sleep on Christmas Eve. She wasn’t thinking about what she might get
from Santa Claus and had practically forgotten the tricycle she wanted. She was
more excited about Mother’s gift that year.
Christmas morning arrived and Elaine dashed into the living room,
eager to get the gift unwrapping done so Mother could find her beautiful ring.
Imagine Elaine’s surprise when she saw the pretty red bicycle sitting next to
the Christmas tree with a big red bow on it! It was the exact one she wanted
and there it was! She was so excited she jumped up and down, giving everyone a
hug of thanks. Daddy said she could ride it in the house for the day since it
was too cold to ride it outside. Elaine rode her tricycle around while Mother
and Judy fixed breakfast. Mother always insisted that they eat breakfast before
the Christmas presents were unwrapped. This year she made an exception about
Elaine’s tricycle, since it wasn’t wrapped in the first place.
After breakfast, Elaine ran into the living room, ready for Mother
to open her gift. Mother seemed disappointed that the gift from Daddy to her
was so big. She had really hoped to get a new wedding ring, but apparently it
wasn’t to be since the gift was so big. Elaine was fairly busting with glee as
Mother started unwrapping the big gift. First Mother found the smaller gift
inside and unwrapped it and then a smaller gift. She kept unwrapping the boxes
as they got smaller and finally…she came to the jewelry box! Mother started
crying even before she opened the box because she had figured out that Daddy
had bought her a new wedding ring after all. Elaine was so excited and couldn’t
understand why Mother was crying! She was supposed to be happy! “Mother, don’t
cry! It’s a beautiful present and Daddy picked it out just for you! Open it!
Open it! Open it!” Mother laughed and
started to unwrap the little box. When she opened the box, she exclaimed, “Oh
Dee! It’s beautiful! I don’t know what to say! It’s just perfect! How did you
know my size?” Everyone started trying to tell the story at once, how Daddy had
taken Judy to help him pick it out and to size the ring, and then how the three
of them had pulled off the big surprise with the boxes. Elaine was as excited
about Mother’s wedding ring as she was her own new tricycle. Now Mother would
know how much Daddy loved her and all would be well again. The new wedding ring
was a symbol of a renewal of their love that would remain for the rest of their
lives. That Christmas was one of the best Elaine remembered. The Christmas
spirit was strong at the Wood home because her parents were in love again and
everyone was happy.
