The holidays are winding down. Presents have been opened. Returns are in full force. Expectations have been met. And some are left wanting. There are very special gifts purchased to honor that special person, and then there are gifts given to show that services are recognized. Gifts are exchanged with friends, and gifts are exchanged with acquaintances.
The following photographs were taken on other occasions I attended as a guest.
But this time I received a Christmas gift from a neighbor two houses down from me. They moved into the small court of 6 houses about 8 months ago. I had only spoken to the neighbor two or three times when I was out with my dog, and I never met his wife. Various cars come and go for a time, and this was explained to me that they provide housing for traveling nurses. Back to my gift. The day after Christmas on my doorstep I found an unwrapped gift with a piece of paper taped on it with our names. It was a plain brown set of blackout drapes.
Blackout drapes. My windows all have very visible wooden shutters. I am seriously stumped by this gesture. All I know of this neighbor is that he has two little white dogs that he says are barkers. I never see or hear the dogs. I didn’t even know his wife’s name. I’m surprised they knew my husband’s name
What am I to do? Send a thank you card for the blackout drapes. Wait till I see someone from the house out and about and thank him for the gift. I walk past the house to get my mail. Usually, my dog Moxie joins me but it is rare to see them.
The mystery still remains in my mind. Maybe the husband was told to deliver presents, and now the wife is searching for the drapes to hang in the bedroom. Maybe the husband didn’t want or like the plain brown design and rather than hang them up he got rid of them. Maybe he thought the gift was something else entirely. Or maybe they intended for me to have this pair of blackout drapes. Did they just finish watching “The Watchers” on Netflix, and they wanted me to be safe? But why a set of blackout drapes? Or maybe they wanted me to have something to write about in my blog about gifts?
Happy Holidays and a very Happy, Healthy, Peaceful New Year 2023!
A Photo's Worth 