Day 18 - The Gift

As empty-nesters, Hubs and I easily slid into the tradition of opening our gifts late on Christmas Eve which left us free to visit with grandchildren on Christmas Day.

Egg Nog Surprise

It has become a sweet time for us although I struggle every year to find a gift for the man who has no wants or unmet needs.  Time after time I've taken notes, throughout the year, of every "I wish I had..." statement of his, only to find that by Christmastime he had fulfilled his own wishes.  My mistakes have been legion.  There was the keyboard because he once remarked that he wish he played the piano...not a serious wish.  Then there was the "Garmin" so he couldn't get lost in the Alaska outback but he never gets lost and it was too hi-tech for my low-tech guy.  That was later followed by the "Dragon" because he writes continuously but doesn't type...again, too technical even though I had our computer guru set it up.  This year I finally hit the mark with a "Kindle"...perfect for the voracious reader that he is.

As for me, I guess I've been just as much of a challenge.  But this year, as I've been spending so much time looking backward, he keyed in on this, (dare I say it) 'antique'.   I've been looking for this exact, pre WW II, tea set pattern in every antique shop in dozens of cities, over the course of my adulthood.  Hubs found it on eBay.

The lid shown is for a sugar bowl.  So, I need a Tea Pot Lid, a Sugar Bowl & 2 cups to make the set complete.  But with or without the missing pieces, I am totally thrilled! 

I've also tried for years to figure out my obsession with this particular set - just why it's meant so much to me.  This year I found the answer in my breaking heart while watching people I love dearly struggle through problems in their marriage.  This tea set was found on the kitchen counter of the home that my parents rented during my father's last year of medical school.  That was the last year my family was happy and whole.  I was 10.  As a child, I thought the tea set was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen; the porcelain so thin, the design so free, fresh and lovely.  It may well be the reason my favorite colors are blue and white.  It was a beautiful, tangible symbol of a time when all was well in my world.  Thank you, my wonderful husband.

(If any of you should come across my missing pieces, PLEASE let me know.  Thanks)