* Pink Princess Phone: Best Christmas Present EVER!!

I was eleven or twelve when I received the MOST unexpected and wonderful of all Christmas presents! My pink Princess phone was the highlight gift of all times for me. It lit up when you lifted the receiver and had a little switch on the back that could turn on the nightlight function. Many a night I drifted off to sleep with my eyes fixed on the glowing pink Princess!

Which brings me to a funny happening that I had to relate to you. Another teacher and I were talking Friday about what on earth to get our fathers for Christmas. When one reaches the eighth decade of life, they've probably received everything imaginable from their families. As we talked, we were talking about funny things and wonderful things we had received through the years and a present from Chicken Daddy came to mind. HE does things in cycles, one year all my presents will be outer wear themed...gloves, coat, etc. One year it will be perfumes...but one year it was lingerie. Oh, boy. But let me warn you THIS gift would have never made it down the runway of a Victoria's Secret fashion show.

I've told you that he likes to shop infrequently and when he does, he spies, he grabs and he pays. He has conquered the task and off he goes to the car. I suppose he heard me say one time too many that I needed a new nightgown or something and so off he goes...of course, he waited too late and most of the things were picked over, but never to be daunted, SOMEWHERE SOMEHOW he unearthed a pair of pajamas for yours truly. Some women wear pajamas and some prefer gowns. Very rarely have I owned pajamas, but boy do I now.

On Christmas morning, I opened the box...at first I thought he had mixed up my gift with my granddaughter's because all I could see was a purple and hot pink something. What on earth was this? When I pulled out those pj's there wasn't a sound made by anyone in the room. We were all too astonished. Purple flannel pajamas with huge hot pink bowls of popcorn all over...The words THE LATE SHOW were emblazoned in black. I was so taken aback that I must have looked like I had just witnessed a crime because he said, "What!? You don't like them?" Do you know what his reasoning was for this purchase? "They are the only ones I thought you'd like." Why, I ask you, why? Because of the food on them, the color, the flannel?

Those things still reside in my drawer...all folded up ready for that eventual snowstorm where we will be sitting by the fire enjoying hot chocolate and watching...you guessed it, The Late Show. Me in my purple pj's...picture that. Pass the popcorn, please.