A Shawn Christmas story

See this picture? Do you want to take a guess what it's all about? First of all the big black lump is our kitty Sasha. She is not a part of this post. She just enjoys laying under the Christmas tree.

As for the significance to the rest of the picture, I doubt you would be able to figure it out so I will tell you.

Thursday, Shawn had VIP.

I've mentioned VIP before but to refresh memories or for those who are newer to my blog or maybe just missed some posts, I will explain that VIP is an ARC program. It's meant for their higher functioning clients. Those who don't need constant supervision. They go out on Tuesdays and Thursdays to do different things around town. They go shopping, bowling, swimming, (Shawn does not go on swimming days, btw, the thick chlorineey air makes him sick, the same as it does with me).

They go to movies, to lunch, things like that. Roughly twice a month they stay at the ARC building and have cooking days, or game days or watch a dvd days.

Shawn loves VIP.

It gives him something fun and social to do. And even better for me, I get two days off a week.
This Thursday they went shopping.

To Wal-Mart.

One of Shawn's favorite places to not only shop, but to also hang out in the Home Entertainment section pouring over every dvd in the place, and, sometimes checking out the games and cd's.
I usually give him some money to shop with. Not more than five dollars though.

I'm not being stingy here. I just know my son.

He has very little understanding of money. If I give him too much he gets frustrated if he has leftovers. I've told him more than once that he doesn't have to always spend every last dime. And in typical Shawn fashion he says, "I know that mom. I know that!"

Then he will come home all agitated because he couldn't find anything to spend his last 62 cents on.

Shawn "knows" lots of things.

He can recite all kinds of rules, and he knows why they are important and why he needs to follow them.

The only problem is that when it comes to acting on those rules he most often doesn't. It's not that he is misbehaving, it's just that a rule that is known and a rule that is actually followed, in Shawn's mind you are talking apples and oranges.

Remind me to expound on this one of these days.

Well, this post does have a point. A very nice one too.

On Thursday I gave him five dollars. I also gave him 35 cents for tax. Sometimes I don't think about the tax. As far as Shawn is concerned, if he has five bucks, and the item that he wants to purchase is five bucks then he has enough money. There is no point in trying to explain to him that you also have to tack on 8.3% for tax.

Like I said earlier, apples and oranges.

So yesterday he came home from VIP. He didn't have any money left over. I asked him if he had spent it all, and he answered that he had. Then he said, with great pride, that he used it to buy a present for me and dad.

This is BIG!

Shawn has been sent on his merry way, to many, many, Christmas shopping excursions. Before he had VIP, his school class always had their shopping day every Christmas season. Just a few days before Christmas break.

I always gave him a fistful of cold hard cash.

I would even give him little pointers on some things he could buy with his money. Usually they would be ideas for gifts for his sister Courtney. Shawn is very devoted to her and was always fond of the idea of getting her a present.

Here comes the rather sticky part.

He would come home from his shopping. I would ask what he had decided to buy. And even as he was telling me what he had gotten for his sis, he would be opening it up and either eating it or using it himself. Of course, he couldn't help but rationalize, that Courtney probably wouldn't like that pack of cookies. And of course he realized that he probably needed that box of band-aids much more than she ever would.

That, in a nutshell, was how Shawn did his Christmas shopping.His intentions were always pure.
Every once in a while he would even go so far as to bring home his purchase, declare it was for some family member, and hide it in his room so it wouldn't be inadvertently discovered. The fact that by that evening he was already opening it and eating or using it hardly mattered to Shawn's way of thinking.

Well, yesterday, I witnessed a semi miracle.

Right after he told me that he had bought a present for me and dad, he took it upstairs to hide it in his closet. I don't know for sure just what he got but I pretty much assume it is one of Wal-Mart's five dollar DVDs. That would be the most likely five dollar item for Shawn to buy at Wal-Mart.

I waited a bit.
I came upstairs to see what he was in his room watching.
I fully expected it to be mine and Don's present.

IT WAS NOT!

He told me to not come in his room because I wasn't supposed to be snooping. The present was in hiding in his closet. I was rather politely told to stay out. Hmm. Could it be? Is it just possible that my present isn't on tonight's TV viewing schedule after all.

Cut to today.

By 11:00 this morning he had referenced the gift hiding in his closet no less than 30 times. Of particular worry was the exciting fact that Jeff and Heidi and Abbey and Lindsay would be here in a few days.
Shawn loves his nieces. He and Lindsay have a particularly close bond. They have been known to sit in his room watching movies and Mickey Mouse cartoons for hours on end. I guess this is what had him worried.
He mentioned over and over that when his nieces, Abbey and Lindsay (specific names are always used. I guess to avoid any confusion) get here he will tell them that they are NOT allowed to look in his closet.
Apparently this is one huge concern for him. It's easy to tell because by 1:00 he has mentioned it to me at least 50 times.

I told him that I had a rather handy little solution to any supposed snooping by two little nieces. This is after I had already pointed out to him several times that the girls aren't likely to even want to look in his closet if he doesn't say anything to them about it.

I mention to him that the best way to prevent any unwanted snooping would be to wrap that pesky old present up.

Light Bulb Moment!

Oh boy! (This said while rubbing his hands. His favorite way to show excitement) I honestly don't think he had thought that far ahead. All of a sudden the new Dollar Store Christmas wrapping paper that I had bought a few days ago, takes on a whole new importance.

Yes you got that right, I got it at the Dollar Store. They have some really good stuff.

Sometimes.

After a thorough inspection of all the Christmas wrap we have at the moment, it is formally decided that the Disney Pluto wrap will be best suited to his gift wrapping needs.

I offer to find him scissors and tape.

Which is quite silly of me. I strongly suspect that Shawn is a big reason why there is never any tape or scissors to be found in our house.
He seems to have things well under control so I get back to my sewing. I have procrastinated to the point that I now have, like, ten things to make in six days.

Not to worry. I can handle it. I've done it before.

A little while later Shawn comes downstairs to inform me that the present is wrapped. Obviously he is awaiting further instruction.
I ask him if he would like to put it under the tree. Oh BOY! Does he ever want to put it under the tree.

It is of some importance to the situation for me to mention that we don't have any presents under the tree just yet. (I'm almost done with the shopping I just haven't gotten around to any wrapping).

I assume that is the reason he felt the need for permission to stick it under that empty tree.

So, at the moment, the Sorenson household has exactly ONE present under our tree. From Shawn to mom and dad.

Now please understand that this is really a big deal. I don't think Shawn has ever before,
A. Gone shopping with real money (plus tax) to buy a Christmas present and not claimed it for himself in the first 24 hours.

And,
B. Actually wrapped said present all by himself, AND placed it under the tree.

As to what it will turn out to be, well, I have no delusions as to what it will most likely be. Remember when Homer bought Marge a bowling ball with the holes drilled to fit HIS hand? Remember when Fred Flintstone got Wilma a set of golf clubs with his name engraved on the bag.

Uh huh. Get my point here?

I am well aware that it is almost for sure going to be a five dollar dvd that Shawn felt our household was badly in need of. In fact, Shawn couldn't resist showing Kelly what he had got for mom and dad.

DON'T WORRY.
Kelly's no bean spiller.
He simply let me know that it is exactly what I would expect a Shawn present to be.
None of these details are of any real importance. The thing that matters to me is the fact that my Mr Shawn has done something that he's never done before.

He went Christmas shopping.

He bought something for me.

He didn't give into temptation and decide he needed it more than I did.

He wrapped it.

He placed it under the tree.

And now,

he will discover that special joy that comes with the knowledge that he has done something nice for someone else,
and,
if he can last the next week without telling, he will be treated to one of the best "happy & surprised" reactions I've ever given to anyone!

I will start practicing immediately.