Away in a Manger

Christmas came early this year- for me anyway. My husband, wanting to make up for the Great Bath Towel Gift Debacle of 2009, or Towel-Gate, as I like to call it- was busting at the seams to surprise me with my present. He knew he had selected the perfect present this year, however.

MJ is a practical man who picks out practical presents. I should feel lucky after talking to friends, to get gifts at all, but it's hard to feel excited when your husband presents you with a pillow for your bed or pots and pans. Christmas is a time for wants not needs. Pile on top of that the fact that exactly 1 minute after he purchases my gift he is positively flitting around the house trying to make me guess what it is. I almost always do and instead of denying it or playing it off (MJ is a horrible liar) he stomps his foot, gets angry, and says, "You're no fun. You always ruin the surprise." To be fair- the bath towels were a complete surprise. Did I mention, BATH TOWELS?

This year was no different as I spied the Willow Tree boxes in his home office while searching for some scotch tape.

"Oh, ho, ho, what do we have here?" I asked pulling the box from under his desk.

"You can never let anything be a surprise." MJ huffed.

"So, let's see the rest of it!" I had been asking for the Willow Tree Nativity for years to no avail. MJ had finally come through with a completely impractical gift. As I unwrapped shepherds, wisemen, and Mary with Baby Jesus I wove tales of how this would be passed on in our family for generations. Then I got to the last box...

"Where's the manger?" Let it be known, along with my requests for the Nativity, I had printed pictures.

"You never showed me a manger!" MJ feigned shock. I knew that he knew that he had seen a picture of the exact set that included a friggen' manger.

"Where is baby Jesus going to rest his weary head?" I asked, holding Mary out for his inspection. "Her arms are going to get pretty tired lugging Christ around all day."

"I got the rest of the figures for you, just set them on top of the cabinet. It will be fine," MJ said rolling his eyes. "You're so dramatic."

"I'm dramatic?" I asked, "Well, let me clue you in, oh husband of mine. The song goes, "Away in a MANGER, not Away on a DESKTOP."

"Yeah, well, it also said he had no crib for a bed." MJ crossed his arms and looked mighty satisfied with himself. I'm glad he was happy, because he wasn't winning any sexy-time points.

"FINE- I will arrange my white trash nativity on the freaking cabinet and all will be MERRY AND BRIGHT." I stomped out on another Christmas song reference- hey, why stop now.

I knew I was being a brat, that was predictable. What was also predictable- MJ getting online and ordering that manger.

Sexy-time points reinstated.