My Christmas Surprise!

I had been a good girl. Weeks before Christmas Jim had brought home a huge box, set it in our living room and simply threw a sheet over it. He asked me not to look for it was a Christmas present. So I walked around this mystery box a dozen times a day, never once peeking under the loosely drapped sheet. Christmas arrives and I tear off the sheet like a showroom model to reveal an outdoor fire pit!! I had wanted on all summer but never found the extra money. With all the commotion of company, I never actually opened the box until January 1st. After my day of laziness and way too much coffee, I decided at 4 in the afternoon to open and assemble my fire pit in the living room. I cut the tape, flip the lid only to find boxes of Christmas lights?! Not believing my eyes, I removed a few boxes from the top... as if maybe the fire pit was hiding underneath and Jim was playing a joke on me.

Nope. From this view you can see the 37 boxes of indoor/outdoor lights that would fill the box. Apparently, an empolyee had used the empty box to repack extra lights but had failed to mark it. Well, the box was heavy... so is a fire pit. The box had been retaped... but maybe they just wanted to see the fire pit. Maybe if I plugged in all the lights and wadded them into a big glowing ball I could create an Electric Fire Pit! Ahhhhh.... Atlas disappointment set in and I pulled out the camera to document the event. I guess I didn't believe it, so why would the store?

Fortunately, we live in a small town and despite the fact that Jim didn't have the receipt they gladly exchanged it. It took a few days to order a new fire pit and the lady at the counter couldn't believe her eyes when Jim opened the box for her. However, they were grateful for our honesty; as the cost of the lights were more than double the cost of the fire pit! As for now, the new fire pit is still in the box in the living room and the marshmellows are in the cupboard, but I did open the lid to double check the contents!

Let your light shine... be it fueled by wood or electricity!