The boy and I travelled to Scotland this week to see my Mum and Dad and my Brother and Sister-in-law and family, the adventure of the journey is another blog.
In the week before Alison was trying to find something to buy my Dad for Christmas (which is always one of the hardest things) and together we racked our brains to see what we could buy someone who has gone beyond Christmas and doesn’t need or want for anything and is quite content.
Alison settled on a neck warmer for when he walks his dog, Scotland rugby made by Bawbags. This is a good ethical company and seemed like a good idea and a tiny little gesture.
It’s not much, the only other thing my Dad would like is Thorntons toffee but we couldn’t find any of that.
When we eventually arrived in Scotland after a crazy journey, I was taking Callum out to play football on the astroturf (this is why Callum goes to Scotland) and asked my dad for some gear to help wrap up.
When looking in the cupboard where he keeps his gloves and hats I found exactly the same neck warmer that I got him for his Christmas present.
We had already bought it.
That kind of sums up Christmas in a nutshell doesn’t it?
Scrambling around to buy something for the sake of it for someone that you love, that they don’t really need or want but to show some sort of love for them because society says that’s what you should do.
I never gave it to my dad for Christmas.
On the same day I went with Callum to buy a size 5 football from Greenock (next to my home town). Callum comes to Scotland because there is an astroturf that has free access which is amazing and you can go on at any point and just practise your football skills.
When we went into town to buy the football we went into Curry’s to look at electrical stuff that boys at 14 crave and love and PS5’s and curved computer monitors and iPhone 13’s and I thought ‘maybe I should buy him a monitor for his Christmas present’.
He also asked if he could have a Celtic strip but he has 6 other football strips that he can’t get through.
We then went up to the astroturf. I wrapped up wearing the neck warmer that my dad had received for Christmas however many years ago that I nearly gave him again and one of his jackets and his boots and Callum and I spent ages in the rain on the astroturf with him practising his free kicks and direct shots and any sort of skills.
Callum was so happy and the joy in his face was so wonderful that I realised this was the best Christmas present I could have given him.
Bringing him here to see him Grandparents, bringing him here to play football.
He would never have looked like that if I had given him a computer monitor or an iPhone 13.
It’s right there in front of us isn’t it?
What’s really special about Christmas is not the stress of spending money that we don’t have, buying presents for people who don’t want them, to show them love that they already know they’ve got.
Blog Post Number - 2958
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