As the holidays approach, we thought that it would be appropriate to tell this tale of 12 year old Alexis and a purple sweater at Christmastime. What does a purple sweater have to do with coffee? . . . read and find out.
That particular Christmas, I asked for a purple sweater and matching purple jeans (it was the the late 80’s after all). That Christmas Eve, I opened a box from my grandmother and there was that gorgeous purple angora sweater. It was so soft and luxurious. I couldn’t believe what a nice surprise. So then I waited patiently for those great pants. Those high waisted skinny legged jeans that I could tuck into my boots. Oh la la, I would be the talk of the 7th grade. Every other person took their turn and then we came back to me, I got my second package. It wasn’t the size of a pants box but maybe she was trying to trick me. Oh that grandma is so funny, squeezing pants into what looks like a case of soap on a rope. Oh and the box even says “soap on a rope”, even better that prankster. Oh wait, it is a case of soap on a rope. My face falls. ”Thanks Grandma” I sigh and give her a weak smile.
The next day after we have opened all of our gifts, my mom takes me aside and says that grandma feels really bad about how I reacted to my gift. But I wanted the pants with the sweater, and I didn’t get them from anyone. Besides that, my brother DJ opened one of my gifts by accident, so I was not given the pleasure of opening up 5 gifts. Instead, I opened 4 and he got to open 6. What a horrible Christmas! My mom explained that Grandma would have liked to have given me the whole outfit, but she is on a fixed income and had to set a budget to spend the same amount on each grandchild. She tried her best, and I should be thankful for what I was given because it was a gift given with the best intentions. So I called up Grandma and apologized (haven’t yet apologized to DJ for opening up that great skirt with the geometric shapes on it). I talked to Grandma and told her that I should be more grateful for having such a great Grandma. I was thankful for what she gives me and that we had such a nice dinner as a family.
Now what does this have to do with coffee. Well . . . we have a free drink card that limits customers to a $2.50 drink for free after 10 purchases. That is our nice gift to you. In the past, we were able to give more for your free drink (in other words the whole outfit), but unfortunately we cannot. So please accept our gift for what it is. It is not a coupon for $2.50 off of a drink, and it cannot be negotiated. We do not have to have this program, but we do for the time being to offer a little something to those who come in often. Just remember how my grandmother felt at Christmastime. When you come into our shop, it is like our house. We built it, we picked out everything that goes into, and we basically live in it. So when you can’t accept a gift for what it is, our feelings are hurt a bit.
