Tell Santa what you want........

I love the Christmas season.

My Man and my first fight was about Christmas.

He didn't see any need to decorate a tree when we would be traveling to his family's for the actual day.

I think of Christmas as a season, not a day and it was the first SEASON I'd be away from my family.

He FINALLY got how important it was to me.

So by the time the next Christmas season rolled around we decorated even though we were flying to see my family right before and then driving down to see his family for the actual day.

However, another fight was brewing.

I was ready to commit and we were living together at this point. He doesn't like anyone telling him what to do. So whenever he asked what I wanted for Christmas I told him I wanted Santa to bring me a engagement ring.

As the time drew closer to fly back to visit my family, I was getting extremely stressed. Just about every day the phone would ring with one family member of mine or another asking if we were engaged yet.

In a hysterical fit, I finally told him that if we weren't engaged by the new year, I was going to move out.

I just couldn't imagine another year passing while we were living as man and wife, but not moving towards living as man and wife.

The night before we were to fly, my man stayed out until 4 am. He came home drunk and proceeded to slur questions about marriage, whether I'd really move out, blah, blah, blah.

Needless to say, I didn't find this amusing AT ALL!

I went to work a few hours later and he called me there asking me how early I could leave the office. I ranted about all I had to do before I could leave and then told him he needed to pack for himself as I refused to do it based on his behavior last night. Then I heard all this background noise and asked him where he was. (Obviously, pre-caller id). He told me a bar with the same friend he was with the night before. I hung up.

I seethed for about 15 minutes before giving up and going home.

I get home and see he hasn't packed a thing but all the pillows are missing from the bed. WTF??

The phone rang and my man's panicked voice is asking me where am I? Uh, you just called me at home, dude! He thought I'd be at work for awhile, however I informed him I was too mad to stay at work and I was packing MY things and catching a plane. With or without him. His choice.

He told me to give him 15 minutes and then look out the door.

15 minutes later..........there was Santa.

Santa comes into the house and wants me to sit on his lap.

"Tell Santa what you want for Christmas little girl".............

I couldn't say it.

Even more amusing is the fact that My Man couldn't get to his knee as he imagined with me sitting on his lap. He went to stand up to kneel down and I fell off his lap.

His friend snapped blurry pictures and drove us to the airport with Champagne and bridal magazines. I got off the airplane in a daze and walked right past my brother. My dad said I led with my ring adorned hand.

That holiday season was such a whirlwind of seeing family, friends and loved ones and planning our wedding. I barely had time to breathe, and only after my best friend asked if I had cried did I realize I never cried like I had always imagined I would.

Nothing went quite as he imagined. He planned to go to my work and have others tell Santa what they wanted. Then, he was sure when it was my turn I'd tell this Santa I just wanted my boyfriend to give me an engagement ring. Somehow he thought I wouldn't recognize him. Not only was I not at work when he arrived all decked out in a heavy Santa costume stuffed with our bedroom pillows.......this is Florida and it was a HOT December that year! Then when he finally tracks me down, I refuse to play along and say the words he envisioned me saying. And the whole kneeling thing was just icing on the cake.

He later told me he wanted to atone for our first holiday fight by recognizing how important the Christmas season was to me. He had the ring made in June. And waited until December to give it to me. I'm still not over that.


Wanna know when I did cry?


After returning from visiting both sides of our family, we went to visit My Man's boss and his wife. They are like family to us. She is a artist and works with many different mediums.

She gave me the talk.............You know the, do you know what you are getting into being a coach's wife? talk. I didn't cry then either although looking back I probably should have.

When she handed me a small wrapped box...........I opened it to find a hand carved Santa down on his knees offering a diamond ring.






I bawled.



I never tell Santa what I want.............I trust he knows.