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THE CHRISTMAS "SING"©

 

Christmas at our house was always a very festive time of the year, and finding just the right tree topped our list of importance when it came to decorating. Tree hunting was a family affair that included my dad, my mother, my little sister, and me.  It always seemed like we had to visit every tree lot in town before we found the perfect tree.  But, once we were gathered around our specially-picked tree that we had decorated "just so", we were very pleased with our efforts.

 

Another of our family traditions was to gather around the piano on Christmas Eve and sing Christmas carols. This Christmas was no different . . . with Mom playing the piano, we began working our way through the Christmas carol book, each of us choosing a favorite.  As we concluded every song, Mom would tap repeatedly on the middle C saying, "This just doesn't sound right."  Not being pianists, we all kind of shrugged our shoulders and went on to the next song.

 

Finally, after a half dozen songs she'd had it.  Standing up she said, "There really is something wrong with this key!"  and asked my father to lift the lid of the piano so she could see why the key wasn't hitting right.

 

As Mom looked down into the piano, she exclaimed, "Well, no wonder!  There's something stuck on one of the wires."  She reached in to remove it and further exclaimed, "Somebody taped something on here . . . what's going on?" 

 

Mom fiddled with the tape for a few seconds and popped up with a beautiful emerald stud earring held up for inspection between her thumb and forefinger.  She turned around to see all of us with these lovingly goofy grins on our faces as my father held out the box containing the other earring.  "Merry Christmas honey, from all of us".