Sneaky parents sure taught us a lesson

As a youth growing up along the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies, I was one lucky kid (or so all the other kids thought). My parents owned a carnival service — Colorado Carnival.

It was a small operation, literally Mom and Pop, and not nearly as glamorous as most youngsters would believe. Basically, we owned a warehouse full of carnival games and colorful booths. We would rent these games and booths out to area schools, nonprofits or anyone else wanting to hold a carnival as a fundraiser. We also had a storeroom full of prizes for the games. If it were for a school or nonprofit, there would be no charge for the booth rental, only for the prizes given away.

And yes, of course, all the games were straight. No fly-by-night traveling carney tricks or rigged milk bottles.

One year as thanks from one of the companies we bought prizes from we received a box of Christmas ornaments. There were about a dozen sets and each set contained 12 ornaments, each commemorating one of the 12 Days of Christmas. Instead of putting them into the prize pool or giving them as holiday party gifts, Mom had a much better idea.

She would choose a couple of families from our church who were having a rough time financially around the holiday season and began a tradition that taught my brother, sister and I how much more fun it is to give than to receive.

Dec. 14 marks the official beginning of the 12 Days of Christmas, and on that evening we would sneak over to the other families’ homes. Mom would give the appropriate ornament to one of us kids (usually me, as I was the oldest and fastest). We would then leave the ornament with cookies or something on the doorstep, ring the doorbell, then run off and hide. I can still feel the anticipation watching as the door would open and one of the children would come out and discover the present.

Of course, after the second night the other family was on to the gimmick and would be waiting to catch us, so we’d have to be more creative, going to the back door or in the morning before school. At the time, I though we were oh-so sneaky, but now believe at some point the other families figured out who it was, but kept silent because we were going for anonymity.

We continued this tradition for many years until Mom ran out of the ornament sets. Over that time, the “phantom” 12 Days of Christmas elf gained quite a reputation through our congregation and it wasn’t unusual to see the ornaments hanging on the trees of several family friends as time went on.

I especially remember one Christmas season that truly tested our sneaky abilities. I was about 14 by this time and we were several seasons into the tradition. This particular year we adopted a young family that was having a very hard time. Unemployed with three small kids at Christmas, the only income was from a morning route the father had filling newspaper boxes in the family’s only car. With the tires on his car so warn and without money to replace them, he was on the verge of losing that job as well.

That’s why one night I found myself not only sneaking a small Christmas ornament onto the porch, but four new tires as well.

I appreciate these lessons more today than I did 25 years ago. While we enjoyed the game, the challenge and the warm feeling of doing something selfless, our parents were giving us an even more valuable gift that has lasted our lifetimes. It’s because of this I know that, while I will still send Mom and Dad gifts for Christmas this year, it’s this one I’ll try to sneak in on them they’ll like the most.

Thank you.

Greg Johnson is managing editor for the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman. He can be reached at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2268.