It was Christmas afternoon and Smivey was at his sister’s home passing out presents. He handed a large package to his 8-year-old niece and she quickly tore into it, revealing to her delight, the doll she always wanted. She gave Uncle Smivey a big hug and they posed for a picture together.
Then it was Smivey’s turn to open his gift. When he unwrapped it, all he could see was a big white box. But inside were some CDs he wanted and a couple of books. He was delighted. How could they know? Maybe it had something to do with his Amazon Wish List. Hmm.
Smivey had a few more presents to hand out. He gave his niece a long, flat, rectangular package. She opened it to discover the Snow White Special Edition DVD! Wow! She smiled and said, “But we don’t have a DVD player.”
Smivey looked a little concerned. “Sure you do. It’s in the playroom.”
“That’s a VCR,” Smivey’s brother in-law explained.
Smivey thought for a moment. “But what about in the family room?”
“That’s also a VCR.”
Smivey looked crushed. “Well, there’s no reason for you to open the other gifts.”
Indeed, the gift for his sister and his brother in-law were shaped exactly the same way. Smivey’s brother in-law unwrapped his gift to find the Gladiator DVD. Smivey’s sister opened hers to discover the Bridget Jones’ Diary DVD.
“That’s okay,” his bro in-law said. “Now I have an excuse to get a DVD player.”
Smivey smirked, but he didn’t seem any less sad. He told them that he still had the receipt, and that he would mail it to them. He told them that he couldn’t believe they didn’t have a DVD player. They were such Yuppies. They had their own damn workout room, a Sub Zero refrigerator and every kitchen appliance known to man. Why the hell didn’t they have a DVD player?
Well, folks, Smivey didn’t feel like being in that house at that particular time. So he packed up all the great gifts he was given into his fancy shopping bag and headed for the door. He assured everyone that he was just going to go to his car to put his gifts in the trunk and that he would return shortly.
After Smivey left, his niece scolded her parents for being so insensitive to Smivey’s feelings. Everyone in the house was feeling bad. It was not a nice Christmas memory to have. They agreed that they would apologize to Smivey when he returned and assure him that it was a mistake anyone could make.
Just about that time, Smivey walked back into the house with something in his arms. He said he found one more package in his trunk. And, yes, it was a pretty big box. Everyone smiled when they saw it. Smivey’s niece tore into the wrapping paper to reveal…That’s right, a DVD player. Smivey can be such a trickster. But a generous one.
Smivey’s sister went back to preparing dinner while Smivey went upstairs to install the DVD player. And a happy Christmas was had by all.
The End
6 Comments