My favorite bird

It is always fun to go to your grandmother's house on Christmas. My grandmother is a bit mentally challenged and does some crazy things. We celebrated Christmas a few days early with granny, as she had other family members to gather with. As I walked in, the smell of fried chicken and biscuits hit me. I only eat these things on Christmas, so whenever I smelled that, it makes me think of gathering around the Christmas tree and singing with my family. We even did this when I was a kid. The sound of the creaky door opened, bringing me back to the present. And in walked my little niece, Anna with her parents Wendy and Brian. Anna was in the first grade. She had long, dark hair, and was remarkably tall for her age. It ran in the family to be tall. She was very active and loved to write and read, not just play sports. She reminded me of myself when I was her age. She had a smile so big, it was almost hugging her ears. "Hi! Isn't this so fun on Christmas?" She babbled. After a dinner of chicken, biscuits, and fresh apple pie, we went to the living room to open our presents and fulfill our tradition. We sang Silent Night, Away in a manger, and Joy to the world, and then came Anna's favorite part of Christmas. She opened her presents first, coming up with a dollhouse, dolls, and clothes for her dolls that she already had. Then came my turn. I came up with what I most wanted for Christmas, a photo album for the time me and Anna were going to spend in the New Year. Just when I thought that we were moving on to the next person, my grandmother handed me an oddly shaped package. I opened it up and saw that it was a birdcage. "What is this, granny?" I asked. "Congratulations on your new bird!" Granny yelled. As if on cue, a parakeet bird flew down the hallway, chirping all the way. I had no clue I was getting a bird for Christmas, but I guess that was the point of presents. I somehow managed to get the bird into the cage and set it down on a table so that everyone else could open their presents. When it came time for us to leave, I kissed my granny and promised Anna that I would call her the next day to check on her dolls that moved into the dollhouse, as she requested the day before. When I got home, I set the bird on the table and sat in front of it, wondering if I should return it or keep it. My husband came up behind me and kissed me on the cheek. I woke up the next morning and thought about what to feed the bird. I got my clothes on and decided to go dig up a worm for it. I fed my bird the worm by dropping it through the top of the cage, I did not know what it would do to my hand if I hand-fed it. In the days that followed, I decided that I would keep the bird, but it would stay in the cage. For the next week, all I heard was that bird chirping. I was sitting one day, about to doze off to its song, when it dawned on me that the bird wanted to be let out of the cage. I didn't want it flying around the house, so I made the difficult decision to let it go. I took the cage outside and set it on the patio table. I was not aware of how attached I had become to it until I tried to open the cage door and let it go. "Good-bye, little fella," I told the bird. "You are the best bird I have ever had." I opened the door and it flew out, free as a bird. Literally and figuratively. It really was the best bird I have ever had, even as I tell this story years later, as a person that fosters birds. My lesson to everyone who gets unwanted Christmas gifts is that they need to appreciate them as if they will influence their career, even if it came from a mentally challenged granny. It is the thought that counts. I had a friend who learned this lesson the hard way as well. She got a baby on their doorstep on Christmas day and she was about to send it off to the orphanage, but right as she was getting ready to leave the house, the baby crawled up to her and got on her lap, and fell asleep. She kept the child and ended up working in that orphanage now because she wants all kids to have a home or a loving place that they can go to, as her child has. As for granny, she didn't think that I would let the bird go. She was surprised when I told her, but she understood that the bird needed to be free. She passed away last year due to a run-in with cancer, and on her last day, she thanked me for doing the right thing with that bird. Of all of the birds that I have helped to raise, my first was the one that I liked the most. Anna and I spent a lot of time together that year and still do. She is in college now, studying literature. I later named that bird after granny. I named her Deanna JR. I have even given some awkward Christmas presents myself. The strangest perhaps was a container of sweater making books. I made sure the patterns looked nice though before I did that. The person I gave it to ended up loving it more than I thought. Now, I am 55 and almost retired from my job. I think that the strangest Christmas present was the one that changed my life.