My Worst Christmas Gift - The Pink Sweater

by Bess Leonard
(Lafayette, Louisiana, USA)

When I was younger, my parents would always ask my sister and I to write a list of the things that we would like for Christmas.

Normally they would pick a few of the items off of the list and that would be what we would get, along with a few others little surprises along the way on Christmas morning.

This particular Christmas, I had to be about 14 or 15 at the time; I distinctively wrote on that list that I did NOT want any sort of PINK sweater (Pink happened to be my mothers’ favorite color at the time, and not mine). Well, we handed in our lists, and went about our business as kids did then.

Christmas morning, of course we all awake in excitement to find our presents and open them. My sister starts tearing into hers, and the very first one I open, guess what it is. Yes… the dreaded pink sweater that I specifically asked her NOT to get me!

I was furious… why ask me what I want and when I tell you that I DON’T want a particular item, that is the first thing that I open?

So I wrapped it back up and handed it back to her and told her Merry Christmas.

I never really understood why she did that, if she thought it was funny at the time, or if it was something that she wanted for herself that she knew that I would never wear and would give to her.

I never saw her wear it, so I am still left to this day wondering about why I got that god-awful thing on that particular Christmas.

I guess I did get my point across after all that day, as I never received another sweater, much less a pink one from her again!