By+Ted+Bosley

Once again， the Christmas season was upon us. And once again， my daughter Tania was asking，“What do you want for Christmas， Dad？”

“The usual，”I replied.

After 23 years， she knew that this meant boxer shorts and some Happy Socks， the kind that help that old bunion. These were Christmas rituals for me. Every day for two weeks prior to Christmas， unable to contain her excitement， she repeatedly said，“Youll never guess， but youre going to love what we got you for Christmas！”

The girl was relentless in her teasing and her quest for my reaction. She was determined that I should be impressed.

It was fun to watch and listen to her excitement and enthusiastic teasing day after day. Her joy and anticipation of my reaction to this special gift was contagious. By the morning of Christmas Eve， I had become more than a little curious.

At 11：00 a.m. on the 24th， my wife and I were asked to join the kids for some last！minute shopping. We elected to opt out. My wife wanted to finish her own festive preparation， and I just wanted a cold beer and a snooze. Four hours later， the kids were back at the door， shopping mission completed.

“We have your gift out in the car， Dad，”Tania exclaimed，“and its getting cold！”

We were then not asked， but ordered to vacate the premises. No， not just to another room， but upstairs and out of sight with an emphatic“No peeking！”command.

So， obediently， we retreated upstairs. The minutes passed in that odd kind of anxious， wondering， quiet anticipation that makes butterflies in your stomach. We strained our ears but couldnt hear anything.

Then we heard them hollering，“Okay， you can come down now！”

Descending the stairs， we were directed into the front room where the Christmas gift was waiting to be opened. Immediately， my excited daughter said，“No waiting until Christmas morning. Open it now！”

“Okay，”I said.“This is highly irregular， this is breaking the ritual... But what is this？”I wondered out loud. The three！ foot"square， irregularly shaped lump by the tree was smothered under a blanket. Out came Tanias camera， and the guessing game started in earnest.

“Maybe its a pinball machine，”my wife offered.

“No， no，”I said.“Its got to be something perishable， otherwise they wouldnt have been so anxious to bring it in out of the cold. Maybe its a crate of Florida oranges， or maybe its a puppy！”

By now， my daughter was about to explode with excitement， and I， too， had passed the stage of mildly curious， feeling somewhere between inquisitive and demanding.endprint

“What on earth can it be？”I asked as I felt the lumpy object， looking for a clue. My daughter sharply rapped my knuckles with a classic，“Dad！”

Finally， we arrived at the unveiling.“Okay，”Tania instructed us，“on the count of three both of you grab a corner of the blanket.”She stood by with the camera， and even though I was trying my best to remain unimpressed， Id by now reached an emotional state ranging from paranoia to frustration. My heartbeat speeded. My wife and I lifted the blanket in one fell swoop， and the gift was exposed.

The next few minutes were a blur. My heart pounded. The blood rushed to my head. My stomach contracted. My mind was jumbled. Overwhelmed with astonishment， I thought，“I cant believe my eyes！ Perhaps I am delusional！ This is just impossible！”

The flash of my daughters camera went off when， rising up out of that heap of blanket and wrapping me in an enormous bear hug was none other than my six#foot$two， one hundred and seventy%five pound first& born son Greg， home for Christmas for the first time in nineteenyears！

圣诞节再次如约而至，我的女儿塔尼亚又一次问道：“爸爸，你圣诞节想要什么呀？”

“跟以前一样。”我回答道。

问了23年同样的问题，我女儿此刻明白，我指的是平角短裤和快乐袜，就是那种可以缓解我一直以来的拇囊炎疼痛的袜子。这些就是我圣诞节例行收到的礼物。

距圣诞节还有两周，塔尼亚每天都会带着掩饰不住的兴奋反复说：“你绝对猜不到我们给你准备了什么圣诞礼物，但你会喜欢的！”

这孩子不断地逗我，想要看看我的反应。她笃定我会被这份礼物打动。

每天看着她，听她用兴奋的语调乐此不疲地逗我，其实挺有意思。她想要知道我对这份特殊礼物的反应，而她的兴奋和期待似乎会传染，到圣诞节前一天的早上，我已经变得非常好奇了。

24号上午11点，孩子们要求我和妻子与他们同去，为节日进行最后的采购，我俩都拒绝了。妻子还要为节日做准备，而我只想来杯冰啤酒，再打个小盹儿。四个小时后，孩子们回到了家，购物任务显然已经完成。

“爸爸，我们把给你的礼物放在车上了，”塔尼亚大喊道，“外面冷起来了！”

孩子们不是请求，而是命令我们离开房间。不是去另一个房间，而是要上楼，去一个完全看不到楼下的地方，并且严词命令我们：“不许偷看！”

我们只好顺从地上楼去了。时间一点点过去，那种奇怪、有点焦虑和疑惑而又无声的期待，让我们的内心不禁有些忐忑。我俩竖起耳朵，但还是什么也听不见。

然后就听到他们大喊：“好了，你们现在可以下来了！”

下楼之后，我们被领到客厅，圣诞礼物摆在那里，等待着被人拆开。女儿立刻欢呼雀跃地说：“不用等到圣诞节早晨了，现在就打开礼物吧！”

“好吧，”我说，“这极不符合惯例，咱们的习惯被打破了……这是个什么东西？”我大声问道。这个差不多一米见方，形状不规则的东西被放在圣诞树的旁边，上面还盖着厚厚的毯子。塔尼亚掏出相机，我们的猜谜游戏正式开始。

“可能是弹球机。”妻子主动说。

“不，不，”我说，“肯定是什么容易变质的东西，不然他们不会这么急着把它从冰天雪地里搬进来。或许是一筐佛罗里达甜橙，或者是一只小狗！”

猜到现在，我的女儿都快要控制不住自己的兴奋之情了，而我也不再只有一丁点好奇心，情绪处于迫切想要知道又难以满足的状态中。

“这到底会是什么东西？”我摸着这一大块东西，试图寻找线索。女儿急忙敲了一下我的手指，用特别的腔调喊道：“爸爸！”

终于，揭晓答案的时候到了。“好吧，”塔尼亚指挥道，“我倒数三下，你们俩抓住毯子的一角。”她拿着照相机站在一旁。我尽量装出一副不为所动的样子，但情绪已经处于一种极度好奇和泄氣来回交替的状态。我的心跳开始加速。我跟妻子一把提起毛毯，这份礼物终于揭晓了。

之后的几分钟里，我有点恍惚，心脏剧烈跳动，血液直冲上头顶，胃部开始痉挛，大脑一片混乱。我惊奇得不知所措，心里想着：“简直无法相信自己的眼睛！或许我产生幻觉了！这是不可能的啊！”

有人从堆成一团的毛毯中站了起来，给了我一个结实的熊抱，这不是别人，正是我那高1.89米，重79千克的大儿子格雷格！今天是他19年来第一次回家过圣诞节。这时，女儿手中的照相机的闪光灯亮了。endprint