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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Christmas Shopping with Austen

Image credit: Photo by
jsc. on Flickr
Licensed under Creative Commons
Last night my son Austen and I went out shopping so he could pick out a Christmas gift for his sister Janie. He wavered between two different stuffed toys before settling on one he thought she would like. When we got to the register, he handed it to the clerk and said excitedly, "This is for my sister. It's a Christmas present!" The clerk's response was something along the lines of, "Yeah, kid. Whatever." Austen was too caught up in his delight to notice the response, which only made me feel slightly less like punching the clerk in the nose.

That moment, which seems so small to other people, was so enormous to me. Austen adores his sister, as she does him. He did something thoughtful for her. He got excited about creating a wondrous surprise for her: excited enough to want to pleasantly share this with total strangers, excited enough to gleefully and cheerfully ignore the usual sensory overload of shopping.

I wanted the whole world (starting with the sales clerk) to stand up and shout in wonder at the magical specialness of my son. And at first, I as really upset not to see a band pop out to play us triumphant music as the clerk, in awe of our dazzling wonderfulness, fell down prostrate before us. Until I realized I was being, well, a little crazy. Sure, he didn't get it, the world didn't validate us, but it wasn't about the world. The moment was perfect just as it was. And I still get to carry it with me like a secret smile for the rest of the season and beyond.
Posted by at 1:29 PM
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18 comments:

  1. How could that clerk NOT think that was the cutest thing ever? Siblings are supposed to hate each other. Any kid who gets excited about buying his sister a gift is pretty darn special.
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  2. Wonderful :)

    I had my autistic nephew say "Goodbye Aunty Mim" to me a few weeks ago, he's 10 and it was the first time he'd ever spoken directly to me, let alone used my name. I hadn't seen him for quite a few months so it was a lovely surprise to see so much progress.
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  3. MPJ you have this whole community to share your joy, excitement and brilliants of Austen. And, if it were technologicaly possible, we would all be there in a heartbeat, instruments in hand to play you all a song.

    One like you've never heard before. I for one am so happy for both of you.

    Cheers. ~AR
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  4. The J-man participated in unwrapping gifts at my family's Christmas thing last weekend. It was the first time. I know he didn't really know why they were all unwrapping presents, but by god, he got right in there. It was so amazing, and we were really the only people to understand how exciting that was! Last year we had to take him downstairs away from everyone and hold and rock and be very quiet by that time...
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  5. Btw, I had this blog award thingy to pass on, so I thought I'd let you know I think you're fabulous :)
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  6. Well, while we should not expect the whole world to break out in a celebratory sing-and-dance number, it sounds like that cashier was very rude. It doesn't take much to acknowledge a customer in a positive way, even if it's just a child.

    Was the cashier a young person? It sounds like it.
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  7. Hooray for Austen! How wonderful they have a good relationship.

    Oh, and I love how you saw the moment for what it was, perfect between you, but still got a bit more out of it by sharing it with us :)
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  8. I'll stand up and shout for you and Austen!!
    I love that your children adore each other. Even though many years ago, I still get a happy warm feeling from remembering how my brother looked up to and adored me when we were kids. He wouldn't accept a snack or a toy unless there was something for me too. He was slow to speak so he would just point at me and grunt over and over and over....so cute!!! My biggest wish is that my boy and his future sibling can have the same relationship my brother and I had :)
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  9. How rude of the sales clerk. I'll leave that alone.

    I'm so happy you have this wonderful memory and that Austen was so proud. That makes me smile. Thanks for sharing this.
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  10. That is sweet. Granted... I know where that sales clerk is coming from... imagine working a toy store at Christmas. That is a form of suicide right there. I worked other retail and thought adults could be hell... shall we all remember the Cabbage Patch incident where adults were fighting over the dolls.

    All in all, that is the sweetest story and hooray for Austen! How amazing that he overcame his usual fears with one mission in mind... his sister. Love it!
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  11. Such a sweet story! Thanks for sharing it with us... this is what Christmas is really all about - LOVE! Yay Austen!!

    "Think Love... when you do, everything around you transforms."
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  12. I love that he is totally in the spirit of giving and you are totally cheering him. The clerk - missed out on an opportunity to touch another person's life and that is their loss!

    Go figure.

    (hugs)
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  13. Aaaaawwww! Austen is SUCH a love!! Thank you for sharing this gorgeous snapshot of your life with us. True Holiday Spirit.
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  14. If we could add up all of those imaginied minutes spent whacking the sales clerks of the world, we'd be in WWIII. Austin's a lucky kid.
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  15. That sales clerk is probably being haunted by the Ghost of Christmas Past right now as retribution for her Bah-Humbug attitude. Bet he'll punch her in the nose but good.
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  16. And this little gem is what Christmas is all about. We can't help it if the rest of the world doesn't understand. We can only hope that the sales clerk gets rid of that hair across her rear... quickly - before someone does smack her.
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  17. How lovely for you and Austen to have this experience together and how delightful it will be when he shares the gift with his sister. It's sad when the clerk can't slow down enough to recognize the moment ... but it's more her loss than yours or your son's. I'm glad you have this community with which to share and feel privileged to bear witness ... if only virtually.
    Hugs and blessings,
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  18. damn idiot clerk. that frigging scrooge shouldn't even be working in a public place.
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