LET SANTA DO THE PLANNING

 

Last updated 12/23/2019 at Noon



Tyler Ancelet was standing outside of his truck with one foot on an envelope while stuffing hundred dollar bills in another when I ran into him earlier this week.After rescuing the windblown envelope pinned under his foot, I wished him a Merry Christmas and asked, “What the heck are you doing?”

“I am keeping Christmas much simpler than last year’s fiasco” he replied.“No more helping Santa surprise the family for me.”

After both envelopes were sealed and labeled with his daughter’s names, he shared his failed attempt at a surprise Christmas the previous year.It all started when he stumbled up on a present that he never expected his wife to buy him.

“Had I not dropped the coffee pot on the floor I would have never even opened the door on the utility closet,” he said.“Claire knew I would never look in there because everything in that closet is somehow connected with cleaning or ironing.”

“Much to my surprise I discovered a tube-shaped present already wrapped that could be only one thing…….a very expensive fly rod that I had talked about time and again, but would never buy myself.In that instant, I knew the bar had been raised and I needed to upgrade my gift to her.”

“Sooooo….I rushed out and bought her a necklace that cost more than my four-wheeler and decided it would be a great surprise along with the two month old yellow lab that I had bought for the twins.”

After picking up the lab at his parent’s house, he tied a bow around his neck and put him under the tree with a bowl of treats.Having already spotted his rod, he hid the necklace in his coat pocket and closed the door before rushing in to wake the family.

“The girls were already awake so it could not have taken more than two minutes to spring the surprise on Claire and see the look on their faces when they met Tucker,” said Tyler.“It was two minutes too long!”

When they excitedly opened the door they discovered that their new puppy had peed on every present that he hadn’t already torn open.“All I could do to save face,” laughed Tyler, “was hand Claire her necklace and assure them that while they may be a little damp, Tucker hadn’t broken anything in the boxes.”

“All things considered,” I was pleased with the way things had turned out until I noticed Claire wiping away the tears while pointing in the direction of my new rod.Unfortunately, they weren’t tears of joy.”

“Much to my chagrin, in the midst of his delirious state, Tucker had folded my much anticipated rod right in the middle while peeing on the card that included a guided trout trip to New Mexico.”

“At that moment, Tucker had no chance of ever being loved and acquired several new names that had the girls covering their ears while doing their best to protect him.When I could finally look at the dog without wishing him a life time of bad luck, I assured the girls that he would not suspiciously run away in the middle of the night and that the whole thing was really my fault.”

“I didn’t really mean it, but it eased the tension and Tucker seemed to sense that he may have found a new home.”

“Not surprisingly, the warranty didn’t cover a dog biting the rod in half and peeing on it,” said Tyler, but it still worked out pretty well for me.As it turned out, Tucker is a little too rambunctious for the girls and Claire decided she would pay to have him turned into a duck dog for me this Christmas.”

I am not sure as to what that means Tyler has to buy Claire for Christmas, but it looks like the twins are getting money and anything that Mom helps Santa pick out.

I hope that you left the shopping and surprises to Santa this year and that you and yours enjoy a Merry Christmas and the best of New Years!

 

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