Beyond the Book: A Writing Prompt

Writing prompt: I had exactly one hour to come up with the perfect gift for my mother-in-law. 

Yeah, I had procrastinated until the eleventh hour, but the truth was I’d have an easier time buying a gift for Scrooge than I would her. What can you buy for someone who has everything she needs or wants? Okay, I could do this. I’d be like Queen Elizabeth. I read that she got mad if people spent a lot of money on presents for her so I’d just try to find something unique that she’d like just because it was unique and unusual. 

Oh, wait. I’d already tried that approach. Three years I’d given her a pretty yard flag. I thought it was colorful, tasteful, and a perfect match for her home and garden. The next time I saw the flag was in a White Elephant sale at her church where they were raising money to send missionaries to Africa.

The next year I gave her what I thought would be a sure fire winner. She wanted to learn how to decorate cakes so I gave her a gift certificate to a local baker who held classes. She went one time and quit. Too hard and annoying she said. 

Next Christmas I started hyperventilating in October, wracking my brain to find something for her. I ended up with a bird bath and several feeders along with a pair of binoculars if she wanted to get a really close look at the birds. She put them in the back yard, but she never put any food or water in them. Another epic fail. 

All of which explained why I was doing Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve with guests due for dinner in an hour. A great wave of rebellion swept over me. I wheeled my car into a pharmacy parking lot (I turned the car so quickly I almost got hit in the rear.) Anyway, I dashed in and went straight to the gift card wrack. It took about a minute and a half to pick a card to her favorite restaurant. Would she ever go to that restaurant again? Probably not, We’d just have to see.

FYI

In case you were wondering, my mother–in-law was a lovely person who always appreciated anything you gave her. She died in 1994, and I still miss her. I wish we could have another nice visit together. 

Do you have a problem person to buy for? I could never really please my dad. He pretended to be enthusiastic over his gifts, but I knew he really wasn’t.