No Peeking!

Christmas Day.

The day of truth.

Are the gifts wrapped under the tree all that you wished for?

OR did someone find a gift even more perfect for you?

Something you'll treasure

that you never even realize

you wanted

or even better,

something that

you didn't even realize

you needed.

If you're honest like me,

you may admit at some point

in your life

Christmas Morning couldn't come fast enough,

so you Peeked.

I did.

It was only once.

And it was a Christmas of very, very long ago.

It was a Christmas that took place only a few years after the photo on this story's cover was taken.

I was dreaming of a Cabbage Patch Kid doll.

But not just ANY Cabbage Patch Kid doll,

a Preemie.

I already had a girl Cabbage Patch Kid

with brown yarn hair,

styled in two cute braids.

She had dark brown eyes

and a sporty track suit.

I was a runner

and sporty

so she fit me at the time.

Although I had really wanted the pretty, fancy dressed,

sparkly pageant looking Cabbage Patch Kid.

But I had

Margo Dolores.

And I loved her.

But now I wanted a Preemie.

The newest, latest, greatest version of the Cabbage Patch Kid.

I wanted one that had a cute little tuft of hair.

One little ringlet,

like the boys of the Lollipop Guild.

I had made my specific request known at any opportunity.

And I couldn't wait till Christmas morning

to find out if my request had been heard.

The anticipation was eating me alive.

Because an oddly shaped wrapped box sat under the tree.

With my name on it.

It called to me,

Incessantly.

What seemed to be the front side of the gift

was pliable under the wrapping paper when I poked at it.

It caused excitement to rise up within in me

because I thought this must be the cellophane window

on the clever packaging

that one could admire the doll through.

Something that I had done numerous times in the toy section of the local Woolco Store.

The three other sides of the box were a bit firmer,

like thin cardboard.

Again ~ a give away in my mind,

that it was in fact a Doll.

I could envision the font of the writing on the front of the box.

The story of the Cabbage Patch Kids on the side and the back.

But was it a Cabbage Patch Kid?

And was it a Preemie?

I HAD to know.

I peeled back the smallest most inconspicuous piece of tape from the side.

I slowly peeked through the layer of paper.

It ripped, shoot!

But not too bad,

I can conceal that,

so I kept going.

As I peeled back more,

I could see that it was the right colour of box!

It was the correct font!

It was a Cabbage Patch Kid!

And although I wanted to see which doll sat in that box

waiting for me,

I quickly taped it back up.

I knew that there was no way I could see that front

packaging window without tearing off all the paper

and giving myself away.

On Christmas Eve

as we drove home from my aunt & uncles,

I stared out the frosty back window

of my dad's Monte Carlo

looking for Santa.

It was almost midnight.

And I wondered what he would possibly bring me

if the one thing I wanted was already under the tree?

Christmas Morning came.

I opened the gift I had already peeked at first.

But not with as much enthusiasm and excitement as I should've had.

I stole that gift from myself

when I chose to peek.

And IT was a Cabbage Patch Kid Preemie!

Rodney Quinton.

He was wearing a mint green & white coloured onesie outfit.

With a white bonnet type cap.

Super cute.

And when I anxiously took off his cap,

it revealed that he was BALD.

No tuft of hair.

But I was grateful & loved him none the less.

Merry Christmas!

And No Peeking,

it's not worth it.

Life doesn't always come with good surprises,

so don't rush the process

and don't search for them ~

just let those things come to you

when they will.