WARM FUZZIES

Our family celebrates Christmas with a vengeance . . . gifts overflowing beneath the tree like we're the richest people on earth. In abundance of love we are rich; in money we're not exactly drowning in it! But we enjoy a Christmas tradition of buying each other small, entertaining gifts throughout the year so we have lots of presents when we get home from church on Christmas morning.

David and I had been dating for almost two years, and I wanted him to share in all of our Christmas fun and blessings. I invited him to join my family for the holiday.

On Christmas morning we were having the time of our lives laughing and teasing each other about the outrageous gifts we had each received. David had even gotten his share of funny gifts and managed to sneak in a few of his own. He had given my Mom a potholder shaped like a pig and my Dad an apron saying "Kiss the Cook".

Everyone in the room burst out laughing when I opened the box he had wrapped so carefully to conceal a pair of bedroom slippers shaped like big elephant heads. "These are so adorable!" I said as I took my old slippers off to replace them with the new ones.

I pulled the first elephant head onto my right foot and waggled it at him with a big grin. Then I pulled the second slipper on but "Ouch!" There was something stuck in there! I reached in to see what it was. As I pulled out a sparkling diamond engagement ring, David knelt down in front of me and took it from my hand.

As he held the ring poised at my finger he said, "Denise, I can't think of a better time and place to ask you to be my wife. Will you marry me?"

David's beautiful surprise had left me speechless, but my family helped me out with shouts of "say yes!"

"Of course I'll marry you David" I responded, "I'd be proud to be your wife."

What a wonderful Christmas memory that will always be for my whole family.