You may recall the Christmas story called The Gift of the Magi, where two people, in the hopes of getting each other the perfect gift, sold the items their gifts to each other would have paired with. It’s a wonderful story about two people’s love for each other, and how that love is more important to them than any material items.
But when it happens in real life, it’s a real bummer, and even more so when what really happens is only half of the Gift of the Magi. A few Christmases ago, I wanted to get my wife the perfect gift, but I was a little short of cash. So in order to come up with enough money, I sold the one rifle I owned that didn’t have any significant sentimental value. It happened to be my AR-15. It was one of the few rifles I’ve bought for myself, and to be honest, I bought it as an investment. I bought it back when guns like it were relatively inexpensive, but there were signs that their value might increase rapidly due to changes in laws and other factors.
I wound up holding onto it too long – I did make more money on it when I sold it than what I paid for it, but if I’d sold it a few years earlier, it would have brought a lot more. But that’s beside the point. The point is, I sold it to buy my wife the perfect gift, and then I waited patiently for Christmas to arrive.
On Christmas morning, I gave Amy her present, and she gave me mine. She was very appreciative of the gift I gave her, and she asked how I’d been able to afford it. I told her I’d sold my AR, and her face fell. Then I opened mine. It was four new P-mags for an AR. It’s the thought that counts, right?
So this year, I’m hoping for a new AR-15 under the tree. I just hope she doesn’t sell anything to buy one.
