My second gift of Christmas

I suppose this is a Christmas story.

I was working at the hardware store today at the cash register. A little old lady came up to the register with graphite lubricant stuff for keys. We made eye contact and I said "Hi. How are you?" She kind of laughed and replied with a German accent. "Just fine." I rang her up and blah blah blah. She was saying "I hope I can figure out how to use this. When you don't have a man around it gets much more difficult. I'm not used to these things. Lightbulbs and ahhh." I complimented her on her bravery and assured her she could do it. She started walking away and saw a tree at the front of the store as she was going out. She exclaimed, "What a straight tree!"

We talked about the tree for a while. She really liked it. I told her how much it cost and she liked it more. It comes with lights already on it, it's very straight (apparently), and I somehow ended up telling her that we could deliver it to her home.

Uhhh. We don't deliver to people's homes. But I was going to deliver that very straight tree to Agnes one way or another.

I sold her the tree and got her phone number, told her I'd call her tonight before "we brought it by." And she left with the happiest smile I've ever seen in such a short German woman.

Well the night went on and eventually I had to confess to my manager and coworkers that I had promised a delivery, and asked permission to use a company truck. We didn't have any company trucks. So I asked permission to use a coworker's truck. Luckily he said yes.

I arrived at Agnes' door and she answered immediately. She cried in glee that I had arrived. Yes, I had arrived. I was still shocked that I had even gotten the tree into the truck in one piece. She didn't want it in the box. She wanted the whole tree to be delivered and placed in her living room exactly as it had been in the store. I hauled it out of the truck and tromped into her home and tripped on a rug and set it down in the corner by a piano and a bookcase. Her home was beautiful. Everything was antique, and everything was clean, and everything was German.

After a few impossibly perfect moments of comedic timing ("A little to the left. Not that left. Back. Yes. More in the corner. Out, just a bit. There.") it was finished. I stood up, handed her the electric cable and she plugged it in. We both cheered =)

She said "I have something for you." She handed me some cash and this:

German biscuits. She corrected my pronunciation of it and said "They are very good. Not too sweet, not too sweet, very good for you, German biscuits." I thanked her so much and we embraced. She said "You brought Christmas into my home, you beautiful girl!" I think my heart burst into red and green Christmas glitter at that moment.

It was very cool to experience that today... it felt like such a gift, and I'm so glad it happened.

AV