Returning unwanted gift might not mean comfort and joy

   Roy got up at 6:30 the day after Christmas so he could beat the crowds and get to the gift return counter as early as possible.

  When he arrived at the store parking lot, he was surprised at the number of shoppers with the same idea. He parked, grabbed his unwanted gift and made for the return counter.

   Quite a few shoppers had arrived ahead of him, but that was okay; standing in line would allow him to think about what to buy with his refund.

   For Christmas, he’d really wanted the shiatsu massager with iPod dock and mug warmer, but no one thought to give it to him. Maybe he could have it after all.

   Standing in line, he was cold. The return counter stood near the front door, and cold air rushed in. His neck ached from looking over and around heads to see the gift return clerks.

   He heard the exchanges at the counter:

   “Do you have a receipt?”

   “No.”

   Well, who did have a receipt for a Christmas present, an item someone else bought for you?

   “What is the reason for the return?” a clerk asked one woman.

   “It’s too big.”

   He heard other voices give different reasons for their returns:

   “It’s too tight.”

   “It doesn’t match.”

   “I have too much of this already.”

   “It wasn’t what I was expecting.”

   Knowing others were unhappy with their gifts made Roy feel better about returning his. He wasn’t the only one disappointed in Christmas. And it wasn’t that he had anything against his father for giving him an unwanted gift. He just knew he could do better, so here he was.

   He began to dream about his neck being massaged with the shiatsu massager, while sipping cocoa and listening to Norah Jones on his iPod. His feet began to thaw as he thought of it all.

   Up ahead was a small commotion.

   “I don’t care if it’s an uneven exchange,” said a man. “I don’t want this gift. I want Guitar Hero.”

   Roy noticed how unhappy the returners were. They scowled and muttered. Some kept glancing at their watches as if to signal the clerks that they were important, and in a hurry and needing attention.

   Before long, only one customer stood ahead of him.

   “Good,” he thought. Soon he would be able to discover whether he had enough to buy his shiatsu massager. Then he saw an ad for a Wii and began weighing its merits against those of the massager.

   Whatever he decided, he would have to come up with a reason for his return. He looked down at his plain, simple gift and sighed. It was too big and too small. It didn’t fit his lifestyle. It was too tight, very constricting at times. It didn’t match his way of doing things. He had too much of it already, or, if not too much, more than he felt comfortable with. And it certainly wasn’t what he was expecting. He was expecting something fun or comfortable or entertaining or profitable.

   Roy looked down dejectedly at his gift. He didn’t want this baby, nor this manger.

   The baby started to cry as Roy approached the clerk. And then he noticed the other customers. They all, too, held babies in mangers and were giving reasons they needed to exchange them for something else.

   Those babies began to cry a little, too, and pretty soon a soft, low cry reverberated through the whole store.

   It was hard returning Christmas, but Roy knew that sometimes Christmas just wasn’t enough.