The Christmas Exit

Summary

For our family Christmas gift exchange, I bought my husband a pair of Italian leather loafers worth nearly a thousand dollars.

I bought my son a limited-edition collector’s model kit he’d been begging for.

And what did I receive?

A pair of cheap, yellow rubber dishwashing gloves from the dollar store, with two scouring pads tied together to look like a "flower."

My husband hugged our son, looking at me with a doting smile. "Honey, you work so hard. This is for you."

I took the "flower," forced the corners of my mouth up, and gave a stiff smile.