Family Secrets and The Christmas Envelope

When I was growing up a strange thing happened at our house every Christmas. A small white envelope would be hung on the Christmas tree dangling amongst the ornaments and tinsel. It was always addressed to my Mother.

It took me a while to realize that my father was the one putting the envelope on the tree but he would never tell me why he did this or what was inside. In fact -he would give me one of those stares, like only a parent can give, warning me to not touch it. So, these envelopes remained a secret between he and my mother for my entire childhood.

Every Christmas morning my father would take the envelope from the tree and hand it to my mother. She would smile at him and take her envelope in another room to open it. Then, she would return to our gathering, say nothing about the contents and we would go back to opening our packages.

My father died in 1973 and along with him went the tradition of the Christmas envelope. I never pressed my Mother on the subject, because the envelope was obviously a secret between the two of them. But, like all secrets , it finally revealed itself.

When my mother died in 1987, I went home for her funeral. Packing up her belongings, I opened her bureau drawer and the smell of her perfume wafted up to me. As I pulled her night gowns and lingerie out of the drawer, I found a stack 30 envelopes, dated from 1943 to 1973, aged with time and tied together.

I set back down on the bed holding the envelopes in my lap and wondered if I dare to open them. Loving my parents as much as I did, I knew their secret needed to be respected but how could I not look inside one now? Both my parents were gone and within my hands was the Christmas secret.

My heart pounded as I opened the first one and there it was. I think I always knew. I so envied the love they shared and relished in the fact that I was a product of that love. Each envelope held a check written in my Father’s hand to my Mother. They were all in the amount of $1,000,000, -un-cashed, but clearly cherished for all time.

Every Christmas of their life together, my Father had given the love of his life all the riches in the world.

Vikki
Have a Christmas secret or tradition? I’d love to hear it.

-The top photo is my only Santa picture. There’s no date on it but, I look to be about 4 or 5 years old and obviously telling Santa of all the riches in the world I would like. I think the location was probably Spokane, Washington.
-The second photo is my sister and I on a Christmas morning. I’m the little one in front. She’s giving me the ‘stink eye’ which still defines our relationship even today.