REFLECTIONS

What's under the Christmas tree for you this Christmas?
It's always fun to peek under the Christmas tree and guess which gifts might be yours. "Oh, that's a big one and I bet it's mine," our son Troy would say.
After shaking  one of the smaller presents, daughter Tammi would say, "There has to be jewelry in this package, so it's mine."
Whether our children's guesses were right or wrong, it doesn't matter because it's more fun to be wrong and be surprised.
My sister, brother and I and our families always celebrated Christmas Eve with my parents on the farm in Newry Township.
One of the more unique gifts given in our family was wrapped with a large, red bow and it made a noise that sounded like "Woof!" Yes, it was a black Cocker Spaniel puppy that was given to my parents by my sister and her husband.
The special gift was later named Skooky and was part of my parents' household for many Christmases.
We often exchanged gifts with our neighbors in Forest Lake. Ann confessed that she would tour beneath her Christmas tree and would try to identify what must be a box of chocolates.
She confessed to us many years after we met her that she unwrapped one box of candy, ate the top row, re-wrapped the present and placed it under the tree.
My brother-in-law Darrell Hansen (Cindi), now my neighbor in Blooming Prairie, bought our young son Troy a noisy toy. He would wrap it, place it under the tree and pick it up in front of Troy and shake it until the noise was unbearable.
My mother-in-law Geri loved Christmas. With five children in the Mowers family, Geri loved to send the kids on a "wild goose chase," providing clues that would lead them to their Christmas gifts.
There was one Christmas when we didn't know where we were going to celebrate it. Judy was pregnant with Tammi. This Christmas gift was given to our family on Dec. 26th, the day after Christmas.
Our last trip to Disney World in 2014 was planned as a Christmas gift for Judy and me and for son Troy and his family. It also was planned to fall on our granddaughter Kaley's birthday (Dec. 29).
As a kid, I remember wishing for some construction equipment. Since my dad was involved in sand pit mining, I wished for a tournahopper and for a "doodle bug." The doodle bug was a steam shovel and the tournahopper was an earthmover.
I also remember staring at our real Christmas tree and seeing it move. It was kind of like Christmas Vacation, only it was not a squirrel inside the tree, it was our family cat named Scooter. He loved to bat the ornaments until they fell off the tree.
As we have gotten older, Judy and I don't give one another many gifts. We ask one another: "What do you want for Christmas this year?"
We both answer, "We don't need anything."
Yes, we do need something this year. It turns out to be a dishwasher because our previously reliable one bit the dust.
What's under your tree? MERRY CHRISTMAS!