Buy Your Own Present!

A gracious ninety-year-old grandmother, overwhelmed by the hectic pace of holiday shopping, decided to change her Christmas tradition.

Instead of sending gifts, she would send cards with checks enclosed, allowing her loved ones to buy their own presents.

She meticulously prepared each card,
penning a cheerful message:

Merry Christmas!

Buy Your Own Present!

Love, Grandma

Then sent all the cards well before Christmas.

When some of her family visited her during Christmas, she asked them if they received her cards.

They were polite but not enthusiastic.

They acknowledged that they had received cards but barely even thanked her.

A year later, as she was preparing to send cards again, she made a grievous discovery.

Underneath a pile of Christmas papers, she found all the checks.

She had never included the checks in the cards.

"Oh dear," she chuckled,

This year, they'll get a double dose of Christmas cheer!

Merry Christmas