My Favorite Christmas Gift

One night, about two weeks before Christmas, I was pinning.

*Please conceal your gasp of shock, surprised at the fact that I was on Pinterest.*

I came across a lovely pin, one that took my breath away.

Source: revivalartists.com via Ginny on Pinterest

I showed this pin to my husband and told him I wanted this painting. I had to have it. That it was me and my son and it needed to be hanging in our home.

He said, "Nah, I'll make that for you."

An icy shiver ran down my spine because I knew those words were akin to "you'll never get this." You see, every time I say I want something that my husband doesn't think I need, he says those words.

I resigned myself that I would buy it in secret at some point down the road. I more or less forgot about it and Christmas crept nearer.

One night, I was getting ready for bed. It was the exhausting week before Christmas break and I was tired. As I was getting ready to go upstairs for the night, Matt asked me if I'd like one of my gifts early.

He can never keep a secret.

I said sure and then I asked if it was something sweet to eat because that night I had a sweet tooth. He looked at me in the way that only he does and "No, because if it was you'd have already found it."

He's right. I have a sort of "sweet to eat" radar.

He presented me with a canvas. When I turned the canvas over, this is what I saw.

Y'all.

He painted me a picture. A beautiful, ethereal picture of how I imagine my son and I to be.

I was so elated I cried.

This, of course, made him incredibly uncomfortable, during which he said, "This IS this painting you wanted, right?"

I mumbled that it was and that I was so happy and that it was so special and how much I love him. I got really mushy and kissed him a lot on the mouth while crying.

And that, my friends, was my favorite Christmas gift.

(He was pretty proud of his work, so he painted a matching one of him and Toph. Amazing, right?)