I Got Nothing for Christmas*

Have you ever had a Christmas when you got nothing*?

I mean nothing, nothing.

Not even a chocolate bar? Not even a bag of peanuts?

I just had one of those. I think it was my first one of those.

I was actually feeling a little sorry for myself for a while. Probably because Christmas was always such a big material event around our household. For good or for bad, that's the way it was.

But then I got to thinking that my Christmas was not a giftless one.

Last Saturday, one of the recent graduates of BECA showed up on my doorstep, like a stray puppy dog. His name is Jose Francisco and I don't really know him that well. In three years, we may have exchanged 50 words.

After some chitchat -- hey, 75 words now! -- he started pulling something out of his backpack.

Out came his diploma and I was gifted the face of a proud and effusive young man. "I just wanted to thank you Walter for helping me get this thing." (Very rough translation.)

It was one of the nicest Christmas gifts I've ever received. And it sure beats the latest Dolce And Gabbana cologne, wouldn't you say?

* For dramatic effect, I'm not including gifts that I received during my visit to Canada in November that were given in advance. My sister Kelly and her family and my mother m are ALWAYS very generous with me.