Channeling “Back to the Future” in a vintage DeLorean at the Philly Auto Show.

As mentioned in my Christmas blog, Bryan was sick during that holiday and Thanksgiving. Despite his illness, I had given him ample reminders ever since the Thanksgiving bout of Covid to please write his Christmas wish list. With twice weekly reminders in all forms – conversations, texts, emails, etc. the list was still not presented the week before Christmas. I warned him that if we did not get the list before the 21st, he would have to settle for the gifts which we chose and not the things he wanted. Still no list. Finally, on the 23rd, Bryan called and said he was working on his list. ”Too late!” I explained. I was met with silence on the other end of the line. Tough lesson to learn.

I was fearing his reaction to those things which we had chosen for him. An electric toothbrush, a few new pairs of jeans, and other practical items were under the tree that morning. They met with lukewarm response. But Ed and I had thought of a few items that weren’t tangible – things which could make special memories when experienced together. 

And, so, we took a trip to view the Christmas beauty at Longwood Gardens before it closed in January. We walked throughout the wooded grounds to behold the lights, enjoying a very “spendy” cup of hot chocolate midway through our jaunt. Once inside the Conservatory to warm up again, we enjoyed the sounds of the pipe organ and live music, which Bryan truly loved. Back outside once again, he reminded us that he needed to return to his apartment soon as the next day was a work day for him. Bryan didn’t last a half an hour in the car before he was fast asleep, listening to Christmas music on his headphones.

Another ‘gift’ was a trip to the Philly Auto Show. Bryan and his dad took the train into the Convention Center and made a day of it, viewing all the displays, taking a drive around the track in an electric car and lunching at the Reading Terminal Market. His favorite thing was sitting in a DeLorean, pretending to be Marty McFly from ‘Back to the Future’. Halfway through his trip, I began receiving photo texts from Bryan showing me the things he was experiencing with his father. 

Judging from the reactions to both trips, I think he enjoyed those intangible gifts quite a bit. Something that can’t be quantified…a difficult subject for Bryan who deals with the concrete rather than the abstract. He will probably never express his thanks for these memories, but the smiles on his face are worth the price of admission – Every. Single. Time!

Stay tuned for a future blog about the next bonding trip he will be taking with his dad.