Gifts Fifth Ave

It had struck twelve.  The longest time of the day.  It almost took a whole minute for the chimes to ring throughout the house from the tower clock in the dining room.

But, her favorite was the tower clock her grandfather had given her years ago.  It was her favorite possession.

He had called her into the den where he almost always was.  He had just put out his cigar.  She could tell by the smoke thinning in the air.

He sat down in his big leather chair and told her to jump on his lap.  She gave him a hug and he hugged her back.

"You know you’re my favorite granddaughter, right?"

She laughed, "Granddad, I’m your only granddaughter."

"Oh, that’s right!  Are you sure?"

"I’m positive!"

"Oh, ok.  Well then, I have to give you this."  And he pulled out the tower clock.

Her eyes grew wide.  She had seen it before and she loved it.  But now, he was giving it to her.  She gave him a big hug and thanked him profusely.  She missed him.  She missed him so much.

Every time she visited her grandma and heard that tower clock in the dining room, it reminded her of the greatest grandfather she ever knew.

It was the first time they had company over to their new home. They had kept everything they had in their old home. But, they bought a few gifts for themselves.

The plasma screen in the bedroom was a step up from the black and white television they had in their apartment two residences ago. The new recliner in the living room was a far cry from the torn favorite they threw away in their last place.

But, she was genuinely surprised when her friend came out of the bathroom, "Oh, that’s nice."

She knew she was talking about something new. But, what could it be?

"What’s that hon?"

"That’s a nice set you have in your bathroom. I just love it, especially your lotion bottle.  I hope you don’t mind, I used a little."

"No not at all!"

Of all the things she could have been given compliments on, she was complimented on her Crystal Bed and Bath Lotion Bottle .  She knew she had taste.  But, that was confirmation.  It always feels good to get compliments about your sense of style.

What could she get him? They had been married for five years and together for eight. She had got him gifts for Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas. She was running out of ideas.

She got him clothes and accessories. She got him skis, baseball gloves, boxing gloves, fishing poles, rifles, knives and tackle boxes. She bought him concert tickets, trips, movies and sporting events. Seriously, she was tapped.

What could she get him for his birthday that she had never gotten him before?

Perfume for men .  Isn’t that just another way of saying cologne?

"Well yes," said her friend who had just introduced her to this novel idea, "But, it’s a little different.  See, men’s cologne is like putting dirt on a guy and masking it with his own sweat.  Perfume for men actually can be appreciated.  Give it a smell."

One squirt and she could see what her friend meant.  It is pleasant and yet, it’s still rugged enough to stand up to his desire to go four-wheeling.  It will work.  Bulgari BLV for Men would definitely work.

That’s what they used to say.  "Don’t sign a thing, unless you have your Rotring."

Well, it was an important deal.  He was meeting with a potential future partner that could change his life forever.  So, he made sure to take his Rotring Initial Black Ballpoint Pen .

He was a little overwhelmed when they sat down to the table.  The potential future partner had a lawyer and an advisor.  Plus, he looked like a million bucks.

This man was ready to do battle and it dwarfed him a little.  Shaking, he opened his briefcase and took out the documents he had worked on for weeks.  He even went over them the night before with a fine toothed comb.

He felt prepared.  But, he would soon find out whether he was or not.

He slid the documents over to the power team sitting in front of him.  They had copies made by a secretary and then an assistant walked into the meeting room to ask if anyone wanted anything.  There were so many people on the man’s side it was unbelievable.

The whispering was unnerving.  The glances and the secrets they passed back and forth.  Then, the notes they scribbled down.  The laughter and everything they did in their quiet pow wow on the other side of the table was a little too much for him to take.

But then, the monotony was broken.  The man stood up and looked at his future partner, "It looks like we have a deal.  I’ll have these guys finish up the details while we’re at lunch.  How does that sound?"

He knew his voice squeaked as he forced out a "Sounds great!" from his moisture deprived mouth.

"Great!  Nice pen by the way!  Is that a Rotring?"

"Actually it is."

"You know what they say, don’t sign a thing without your Rotring."

He knew that too?

The work had been entirely overwhelming. I mean, who in the world puts the air conditioning unit above the lighting fixture in the foyer and then has no plan for what to do with the drainage?

Well, the damage that was caused almost burned the house down. Water and electric just doesn’t mix. So, she was happy that hadn’t happened. But, the rest of the damage was just cruel and unusual punishment.

There was two feet of mildew damaged insulation to remove. The ceiling had weakened and begun to fall to the floor, piece by piece. And fungus had begun to grow on the rafters. Insurance would cover it, yeah. But, what a way to learn about the flaws in your home!

That’s when she decided to reward herself with the most beautiful light fixture she could find.  In fact, it wasn’t going to be any normal light fixture.  The Murano Venetian All-Crystal Chandelier was what it was going to take to put a smile on her face.

She asked questions.  She asked a good bit of questions.  "Is the air conditioning unit safe now?"

"Yes ma’am.  In fact, we’ve moved it to the center of your attic space."

"Will it leak anymore?"

"Uh no ma’am.  We’ve provided an outlet for condensation.  The water drains through a tube and into your water spouts on the outside of your home."

"Has all the mildew and moisture been taken care of."

"Yes ma’am.  You won’t have to worry about any further damage."

"Ok…ok.  Go ahead and put in my chandalier."

"Thank you ma’am!"

She ran into the store in such a hurry. She only had so much time and she had to find the right the gift for her sister-in-law’s birthday party. She cared. It just didn’t seem like it. She had been so busy lately that it totally slipped her mind.

She ran mindlessly through the store, noticing everything and not approving of anything. That was until she ran across the perfect dress. She knew her sister-in-law’s size. They shared each other’s clothes all the time. So, she knew the dress would be just right.

She grabbed it and ran to the register. The clerk rang it up and then looked back at our in-a-hurry customer who had a frightened look on her face.

"What’s wrong?"

"I can’t find my billfold. Wait here for a second."

"Sure. I’ll hold this for you then until you come back."

She ran out to the front door and that’s when she saw it. A lady was holding her Coach Soho Signature Slim Envelope while three others stood around admiring it.

"Oh, thanks for finding it!" she said as she grabbed for her billfold.

But, it was sort of like a tug-of-war match.  The lady just didn’t want to let go.

He had never thought about it much. "I mean, a watch is a watch right?"

There are different features and different styles that fit different people. But, that’s as far as it went. A watch was for telling time, not making a statement.

That’s what he thought until he saw a selection of watches that changed his mind about watches all together. There was unique design to the Croton watch selection in front of him. He had never noticed that before.

The Lady Circuit Breaker, The Time Chain, The Chronomaster, The Gladiator just to name a few. They all have personality.  They all make a statement.  You’re not just looking at a gold or silver watch.  You’re not just looking at a sports watch or a formal watch.

There is a sense of purpose and coherence to each watch.  The Zebra even had stripes in the wristband.  But, it wasn’t your obvious black and white stripes.  It was an elegant light gold, dark gold stripe that struck right through the face of the watch and gave the watch its own unique stamp.

The Gladiator had a warrioristic design.  The Time Chain looked like the time pieces of old that hung from a man’s belt.  The Lady Circuit Breaker, a electrifying style.  But, it was the Chronomaster he chose.  Why?  Have a look for yourself.

It burned in her mind. She couldn’t let it go. It was a sight she had never seen before and she knew what she had to do.

She had gone camping with her friends. But, normally they went to campgrounds. This time they went off on an adventure.

The hike up the side of the mountain was one heck of an exercise. There were so many sights to see going up to the spot. Animals in the distance. Sun shining through the trees. Colors that were all in array and yet they went together beautifully. Isn’t that one of the mysteries of nature? It’s so perfect in its imperfection.

Then, in the clearing she beheld a phenomenal sight. The top of the mountain shot through the trees. A river coursed down through the center of the scene.

She studied the shot for several minutes.  She stayed there staring until the rest finally talked her into continuing with the hike.

Over the course of the weekend, she keep coming back to that spot and staring in awe.  She made several trips and she noted every detail.

When she got home, she pulled out the canvas and the paints.  Putting together this beautiful creation on screen was a masterpiece she needed to try.  And she did.  She made her masterpiece…North View of the Mountains .

We interrupt our regular programming to bring you a word from our sponsor…

Watch the video…click the image above.

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It had been a long day at the office. He was tired, but he had made these plans a long time ago. It was too late to cancel and just last week he had been given the opportunity. But, he insisted. So he was stuck with the plans now.

As he arrived home, he could smell some good cooking. And it didn’t happen all the time, but because she knew how important this dinner date was, she greeted him at the door with a cool, relaxing drink. A kiss on the cheek, “Go freshen up! They’re on their way.”

He changed his clothes and got comfortable. She set the table since she was already ready. When he came down the stairs, he walked into the dining room to see if there was anything he could do to help. There was nothing, absolutely nothing…

She had broken out the Palm Desert dinnerware set. It was going to be a great evening. That much he knew. The dinner date would be a success. He could relax now.

…Now, back to our scheduled programming.

The buzz from the front door sent a chill through her spine.  The mother-in-law was here.  Had she thought of everything?

It was too late now to think of anything else.  They only had a few floors to come up and they would be here.  There was nothing left to do, but wait.

She brushed imaginary lint off of her dress as she stood a perfect distance from the door.  Not so close that the door would hit her.  Not so far away that she felt an uncomfortable distance.

Oh, this was driving her insane.  Why hadn’t she taken a quick shot of the Scotch before they got here?

Oh wait!  She just thought.   The table would look so much better with the Contessa Vase …  (cont’d)