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December 22, 2016

The Best Christmas Present Ever

16 Comments/ 13/ 1

Do you remember your best Christmas present ever?  I think we all have that one present that probably sticks out in our minds as being the absolute best present.

Mine was given to me years ago by my husband.  He wasn’t my husband then as we were young college students.  I was reminded of it the past couple of weeks as I went to the eye doctor.

I have worn glasses almost all of my life.  I got glasses when I was in first grade and six years old.  Yep–I was one of the early bloomers when it came to bad eye sight.  To say my eyes are bad is an understatement.  When the technicians and opticians look at my prescription they kind of shake their heads.chris-and-beth-ann

My sweet fiancee at that point knew how much I hated wearing glasses. They were thick and if I am honest less than flattering.

Chris stepped in that year for Christmas.  He made an appointment for me with his ophthalmologist.  I got fitted for contacts and have never looked back.  35 years later I am still wearing contacts and thanking him for turning a somewhat ugly duckling into a more confident young lady who felt better about herself just because of a simple pair of contact lenses.

My Mr. Diamond had a great idea of what would make me feel better and what would turn out to be my favorite gift ever.  He knew it would make me feel differently about myself and he was right.beth-ann-grad

It’s funny when I think about other presents over the years that I have been given.  While many have been wonderful and well thought out none really compare to this one.  This one really did change my life for the better.

Do you have a favorite Christmas present that stands out in your mind?

Was it a simple gift?  Perhaps even a gift of time with a loved one?

Gifts from the heart are simply the best gifts that exist. When Chris gifted me with the gift of contacts he definitely gave from his heart.

I would love to hear about your favorite Christmas gift.  Make sure to leave a comment in the comments section .  All of our comments this month go to support the Connestee Fire Rescue Auxiliary here in North Carolina in appreciation of the department’s work on the recent wildfires.  Click here to read more about Comments for a Cause.

 

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16 Comments

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  1. Virginia Pillsbury
    December 22, 2016 at 07:00 am

    I love this and I love your Mr. Diamond! As a little girl, Christmas morning was magical when I would open a gift that I had longed for and somehow it was there under the tree! My parents made the holidays a magical time – not just gifts – but they instilled a feeling of wonder and awe about the time.
    My best gift? That would have to be the Christmases of 1984, 1987, and 1990 – each of those years I was newly pregnant and filled with wonder and awe! Those three babies are the best gifts ever (along with their three siblings).
    Merry Christmas and I pray that God sparks our imagination and sense of wonder and awe as we greet baby Jesus anew.

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      December 22, 2016 at 08:17 am

      Oh I love that those were your best gifts and yes–they definitely are! The anticipation of their arrival and the love that you felt for them is something that only grows with time. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

      Reply
  2. Doreen
    December 22, 2016 at 07:12 am

    I’m not sure if this qualifies as the “best” but I know it really occupied me for the remaining winter months……….a bicycle!!!! Tom & I vowed we would not ever give such a gift at Christmas…..especially since our MN location (used to) prohibits its usage til that warmth of Spring dominates. Anyhow…….our home was a post-war, 2 bedroom affair with a moderately SMALL basement and I learned to ride that bike, going from wall to wall, on again/off again, back & forth for hours!!!!! I’m sure Mom was grateful for the diversion on some of the more frigid (indoor) days!!!!!!!
    Your gift came from a heart overflowing with love for you. He was/is THE BEST (but I know YOU know that!!!!!!)….

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      December 22, 2016 at 08:16 am

      That is a great story! I can just see you bouncing off the walls of the basement! 🙂 I love this story. And yes–he is the best. I am so blessed.

      Reply
  3. hilary
    December 22, 2016 at 07:40 am

    I love this!!!

    While it wasn’t a Christmas present, the best gift I gave to myself was lasik so I didnt have to wear contacts anymore. I did it about 10 years ago. Unfortunately I am one of the many people whose eyes deteriorate and have to wear contacts / glasses again

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      December 22, 2016 at 08:12 am

      Chris got Lasik but got it corrected for distance only so he still needs readers for the up close stuff. I considered it but just haven’t made the jump yet. 🙂

      Reply
  4. Marci B
    December 22, 2016 at 08:08 am

    I don’t think I have a best Christmas gift, although every Christmas I get to celebrate with my little family is a blessing! Love the story about the contacts! I tried contacts once and the woman who was putting them in scratched my cornea! Never again after that…..

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      December 22, 2016 at 08:11 am

      I love my contacts. I am too wimpy to try Lasik like Chris but contacts and I have a great relationship . 🙂

      Reply
  5. Sara Broers
    December 22, 2016 at 08:31 am

    Beth Ann~ I am in the same boat. Although, it wasn’t until I was 10 that I got glasses. I am also a contact lens wearer. I do think about this. At what point will I not be able to put them in? Yikes- what a thought, right? Merry Christmas to you!

    Reply
    1. Beth Ann Chiles
      December 22, 2016 at 10:06 am

      Oh gosh–I hope I can always put them in! I can’t imagine having to wear glasses all of the time even though I got some really fun new ones a week ago. Merry Christmas to you!

      Reply
  6. Jena C.Henry
    December 22, 2016 at 08:54 am

    Before I share my best Christmas present I want to comment on the LASIK thread. hubs and I had LASIK many years ago. His eyes changed like Mr. Diamond’s- he has great distance vision but can’t read. I am the opposite- I have lost some distance but I can read all kinds of print just fine! So we are perfect together! He sees far away- I see close!
    My favorite part of Christmas was being in all the church kid and youth Christmas pageants! Merry Christmas Beth Ann and to all your readers.

    Reply
  7. Minnesota Prairie Roots
    December 22, 2016 at 09:28 am

    What a wonderful gift. BTW, I was an early bloomer, too, with the need for eyeglasses. I got my first pair at age four, followed by surgery to correct crossed eyes. I never take my vision for granted.

    I can’t think of a single Christmas gift that stands out. In hindsight, though, I appreciated the dresses my godmother sewed for me each Christmas. Or maybe it was my birthday. I can’t quite recall. Sometimes I chose the fabric or pattern. This annual new dress was a big deal since I seldom got a new dress or new clothes for that matter.

    Reply
  8. Priscilla King
    December 22, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    For years afterward people used to try to get me to repeat the way I summarized one Christmas in my childhood. Memories also include lots of visiting relatives, lots of prezzies, lots of candy, and Norwalk Flu…the part I told people about, when we went back to school, was: “I got a typewriter, and I got a baby sister.”

    Topped everybody’s loot report for *years.*

    But if contacts had been invented yet, a couple of kids might have voted for them being as cool a “present” as a baby sister.

    Reply
  9. Darlene Foster
    December 22, 2016 at 04:45 pm

    My best Christmas gift was my beautiful baby girl who was born December 15. I brought her home, dressed her in a lovely little dress and laid her under the tree (that I had put up early that year just in case) and took a picture. When she was about three, she was looking through the family photo album and said, “Look, mommy, someone got a dolly for Christmas.” I said, “It was me who got the dolly and that dolly was you, sweetie.” It will always be my best Christmas gift!

    Reply
  10. Dawn
    December 22, 2016 at 06:40 pm

    I don’t remember any specific Christmas gift. What I DO remember is spending hours around the Christmas tree laughing and talking. Those times were precious. It’s what I miss the most now as the holidays swing around again.

    Reply
  11. Jeni F.
    December 22, 2016 at 07:44 pm

    I learned something new about you with this post! I think one of my favorite Christmas presents was my big, full length down jacket Jake got me when we moved to Fargo. When I was in college, my parents would give me rolls of quarters for laundry and thought it was funny that I got more excited about those than anything else.

    Reply

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