The
next night after dinner I was at the kitchen sink drying dishes while
my mother washed. In my life up to that point, I had watched a lot of
television – and it seemed to me that the object of Christmas,
based on all the situation comedies I had seen, was to find out
before December 25th where the presents were hidden, and
if possible, see what was in them!
So
I thought I would be helping Mom immensely if I told her about
the present Dad had gotten her!
“I
saw what Dad bought you for Christmas last night!”
“Good.”
“It's
a...”
“Stop!
Don't tell me what it is – I want to be surprised on Christmas
morning!”
She
was calm when she said it – maternal.
And
that one statement negated years of television themes, and it
instilled in me a lifetime philosophy of delayed gratification.
I
can trace it all back to that moment.
When
I first wrote up this story back in 2009 when Sarah and John were in
England, Mom received an email copy of it too and told me she still
had the electric razor!
Next
thing I knew, Mom gave me the razor – a Lady Sunbeam, in its
original case, and the case was in the Christmas box that it had come
in! What a sweet and altogether goofy gesture. I keep coming upon the
box here in my cluttered computer room, and now I'm thinking, if I
take a picture of the shaver as a memento to go along with
this story, perhaps I can then maybe not keep the actual Lady Sunbeam
any longer? It's vintage late 50's – original box – any takers?
267
20150924 Lady Sunbeam
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