It is not that unusual for a tale to become twisted in its transmission, often to someone’s detriment – but the slightly misunderstood story of “the Thanksgiving Gift” may just end up being to the benefit of all!

The story began simply: with our family’s search for a couple of new dining room chairs.  I had bought an antique dining room set that Cheryl wanted for our 20^th anniversary almost 10 years ago (yeah I know, the pressure is rising – our 30^th is this spring!).  We have enjoyed the set for almost a decade now.  But being older, some of the chairs have become damaged along the way, and Cheryl wanted to find two new chairs, one for each end of the table.  A few days ago, she saw an ad from Pier One with a chair that she really liked, and she showed it to me.  I liked it too, but casually responded with one of my “stock” answers, that I didn’t know where we would take that out of our budget. 

But I actually really liked the chair, and privately thought that we might take some money out of savings and just buy a couple of them.  So that Friday, I casually suggested that while we were out Christmas shopping, we might go by and look at those chairs just for fun.  We did, and fell in love with them.  There was only one problem: there were actually TWO chairs: the red one that had been in the catalogue, and a green version they also had on location in the store.  We thought that either of them might go with the dining room, and we were not sure which.  I suggested that we buy one of each, take them home, and see which looked best.  Then we would swap the “loser” out for another of the “winning” chair.  We would take the money out of savings, and the dining room would look great when all the kids came home for Thanksgiving.

Well, Cheryl was excited of course, and she texted one of our friends, asking her opinion on the color of the chair.  She also mentioned how exciting it would be, to make everything look great for Thanksgiving.  Her friend responded: “Wow, you get a Thanksgiving gift?!”  Cheryl said, “um, yeah, sure!”  This is where the story took off …

This friend next told her husband – perhaps as a joke, perhaps as her own subtle leverage, for who knows the devious depths of the mind of a woman?! – that I was buying Cheryl two dining room chairs as a Thanksgiving gift.  But the next thing we knew, the report had gotten back that her husband, the next Sunday at church, was talking with a bunch of guys, and mentioned this purchase.  As stories do, this one got twisted.  He told the guys in the circle that Bro. Shawn always buys Mrs. Cheryl a Thanksgiving gift each year, to show her how grateful he is for her.  Implied message: it’s time for us guys to ante up!  I laughed when I heard that.  I appreciated the good “press”, but I was also certain it was not the first time people thought better of me than I deserved.  And I figured that the slightly distorted tale might actually benefit some of our ladies.  Turns out, it did!

The latest update?  This friend just told Cheryl that her husband was now buying her a new kitchen table for a Thanksgiving gift!!!  I smiled: I wondered just how many guys are now out buying their wives a Thanksgiving gift?  Not that it’s a bad idea; our wives put up with a lot – think of all the work they put in regularly, not to mention all they do leading up to, and on, Thanksgiving Day.  Who knows; in years to come, maybe this will catch on, and industrious and appreciated women all over the country will receive a Thanksgiving gift regularly.  And if they do, then YOU will be among the select few who know how it all began: with the slightly mis-told story of “The Thanksgiving Gift”!