My parents and I have reached the point where buying Christmas gifts for each other has become a daunting task. We all have very specific tastes, tastes we're not great at communicating to each other...so the message of what we'd like come December 25th becomes lost in translation.
This year, I tried to keep things exceedingly simple for them. When asked, I said I wanted warm clothes. Hats, gloves, scarves...I didn't care as long as it kept out the bitter cold that is the hallmark of reporting nightside in Hampton Roads.
It was a case of ask and you shall receive. When my parents and I exchanged gifts the week before Christmas, they hit it just right. I unwrapped gloves filled with 100 grams of Thinsulate insulation, ear muffs I could hide under my hair, turtleneck sweaters and layers to put under my reporting garb.
This week those gifts have been put to a test even the Good Housekeeping Institute would find extreme -- a cold snap that has sent afternoon highs plunging into the 30's and turned lows unbelievably frigid. My Christmas presents have passed with flying colors and I've been warm despite the temperatures.
So, thanks Mom and Dad. Maybe next year I'll be as astute at picking out gifts for you as you were for me.
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