| Christmas gift-giving can be a trying experience. | | | | That Christmas, I didn't get a robe. But I got a |
| Shopping for just the right present for everyone on | | | | different sort of gift -- a subtle, unexpected one that |
| your list requires much thought. What do they need? | | | | doesn't wear out, become obsolete or fall out of |
| Is it the right size, color, and style? What about the | | | | fashion: the gift of understanding that it's important |
| quality? The long lines at the stores for returns the | | | | to take a stand for your beliefs. |
| next day prove just how challenging it can be. | | | | My father was a man of principles. He'd go to great |
| And after all that effort, how long will your purchases | | | | lengths to argue his case if he thought something |
| really last? In today's world of disposables, planned | | | | was wrong or unfair. As a teenager, I often viewed |
| obsolescence, and ever-changing trends, it's rare to | | | | him as stubborn, difficult, and even embarrassing at |
| receive a gift that lasts more than a few seasons. | | | | times. But now, with the wisdom of age and |
| For these reasons, Christmas presents at our house | | | | experience, I see him in a different light. |
| were sparse. To my perennial disappointment, my | | | | Through his commitment to his values, he taught me |
| parents weren't much into buying gifts. They had no | | | | an important lesson that day at the mall. I didn't |
| patience for the whole process. My father especially | | | | realize it at the time, but it influenced me deeply. |
| lost interest when everything started being | | | | Now as an adult, I, too, am compelled to speak out |
| manufactured in China. Dad was a proud veteran of | | | | when I feel something isn't right. The values I speak |
| World War II, and he didn't like the notion of our | | | | out for may in some cases be different from his, but |
| goods being produced on foreign shores. | | | | it's the commitment to them that matters. |
| I recall one Christmas, after some prodding, he | | | | Sometimes the gifts we receive from others are not |
| agreed to buy me a robe, but on two conditions. | | | | wrapped in paper and bows. They are not |
| First, I had to pick it out. If he was going to buy it, | | | | manufactured, bought or sold. They are the gifts of |
| he didn't want any guesswork. Second, it had to be | | | | teaching by example, of inspiring and motivating, of |
| American-made. Simple enough, I thought. So | | | | passing on lessons of living. After the flurry of the |
| together we went to the local mall, trudging from | | | | holidays has come and gone, these are the gifts that |
| store to store in search of a robe made in the U.S.A. | | | | endure. |
| Dad pored through the racks, scrutinizing every label: | | | | I may have been shortchanged at Christmas when it |
| Made in China. Korea. Cambodia. Vietnam. (That one | | | | came to getting presents, but my father gave me a |
| really perplexed him.) Surprisingly, there wasn't one to | | | | gift much more precious and lasting than anything he |
| be found. In each store, he confronted the sales | | | | could have bought at the store: strength of character |
| clerk and asked why they had no robes made in the | | | | and conviction. Top quality, perfect fit, and no |
| United States. I was frustrated and embarrassed, but | | | | exchange or return needed. A belated thank-you, |
| he persisted. It was really important to him, and he | | | | Dad. |
| wanted to make his point. | | | | |