Thirty-five years ago my grandma bought herself a new wallet. As her old wallet was in relatively good shape, she handed it down to her then sixteen year old daughter, my mom.
Mom used the wallet for a couple of years, eventually replacing it with a new one. In a fit of inspiration, my mom wrapped the old wallet and gave it back to her mother for Christmas... and a tradition was begun!
That wallet has gone back and forth between my mom and hers for thirty-three years! It's been hidden in carved out books, concealed in cans of nuts which have been re-shrink wrapped, tucked into underwear drawers, delivered in a morning newspaper, stealthily deposited in a vehicle under the cover of darkness, wrapped and exchanged for Christmas, birthdays, and Valentine's Day, with each of them employing almost every method imaginable, save sending it through the mail for fear of losing it. It's been exchanged weeks, months, and years after taking possession of it, and the element of surprise when receiving it never diminishes. Each time it changes hands, hoots 'n hollers of delight can be heard.
An added bit of humor in recent years is due to the fact that my mother never gives it to her mother without a small bit of change inside, only to receive it back empty!
This amusing, and originally unplanned, decades long tradition has brought much laughter and joy to not only my mother and grandmother, but also to those of us who get to enjoy the merriment along with them!
Grandma was the recipient this Christmas and was as surprised as she's ever been in years past, as you'll see below!
We can't wait to see how Grandma eventually gets the wallet back into Mom's hands, but one thing we're sure of, it'll be empty!
"A merry heart doeth good [like] a medicine"
Proverbs 17:22
What a wonderful story!! God is good to have blessed your family with a sense of humor and love of generational living. Happy birthday to your grandmother and I am praying for her today especially.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mrs. Gruben!
ReplyDeleteIt is a funny little tradition, isn't it? I once heard about two sisters who exchanged a can of peas for years, until it finally burst in one of their cupboards! How funny is that?!? I can't remember how that one got started!! LOL.
Say "Hi" to Catie for me. I surely hope we can meet in March.