Dear Reader,
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I'm on holiday, so today I'm running one of my favorite holiday columns.
I've always thought my gift-wrapping abilities were unique. I use scraps of this and that, and if I do say so myself, I come up with some pretty unusual presentations. But one Christmas I had to relinquish my gift-wrapping title when I opened up the present I received from my friend Bill in Oregon.
I admit it, I told him it was a first for me. I'd never before received a Christmas gift in a box that said on the outside, "Contents: 1 rectal thermometer, 1 breast pump, petroleum jelly, 1 tape measure, and 2 isolation masks," among other intriguing items.
Yeah, boy, Happy Holidays! How did he know what I wanted!
My curiosity was definitely piqued, so I cautiously opened up the box, and much to my relief I found the usual homemade jellies and pancake syrup that I look forward to getting from him every year.
Of course, I had to ask, "Where, why, and how did he get a hold of that box--and why did he send it to me?"
Apparently, an entrepreneur in his area had developed an Infant Care Kit for new mothers, but the company went bankrupt. The bankruptcy court awarded the entire inventory of boxes and kits to a local charity where my friend volunteers. After 15 years of giving baby kits out to every new mother in the area, there were still stacks of boxes, but no more baby kits to put inside them. The boxes were going to be thrown out, but being the good Scotsman that he is, my friend couldn't stand to see them go to waste.
So he saves them for special occasions and friends like me.
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
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