Christmas is all about coming together and being with family, but sometimes those family members like to play tricks on the unsuspecting. I am usually a target of the tricks in my family because I love to shake the presents under the tree.

My sister and my mom got me good one year. In our house, we have an outlet that we have to first flip a light switch in order for it to work. I would say I was not any older than 13 if not younger when this happened, but we were getting ready to decorate the tree and were testing the lights with this outlet. I plugged them in and it didn’t work. 

My sister then tries them again and they work. They have me try again and the lights will not come on. Little did I know that my sister and my mom had been flipping the light switch behind my back. They would tell me maybe hold my mouth this way and it would work or maybe stand this way. Every time I did one of their weird requests the lights would come on. I did not catch on until they finally told me. It ended in tears when I learned I was betrayed and they still laugh at me to this day. 

Another Christmas I had a present under my grandparents’ tree. I had asked for a necklace and every time I would go to their house and shake my present I would tell them that I knew it was a necklace. Somewhere along the line, my Pa had switched out the packages and filled the other one with rocks so it made the same noise. On Christmas morning, I continued to be annoying and shake my “necklace” and to my surprise I opened a box of rocks. My Pa thought it was hilarious, but also had sympathy on me and quickly gave me the necklace that was originally in the box. 

Last Christmas my mom ordered me a Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine coffee mug that is awesome. When it arrived it was broken. She contacted the store and they sent a replacement, but she decided to wrap the broken one since I have such an addiction to shaking presents. I was so curious about what was in that box and shook it nearly every day I was home. 

My mom would continuously tell me that it wasn’t supposed to sound like that. When I opened it on Christmas morning, I found a broken mug and felt so bad and thought I had actually broken my present. She finally brought the non-broken one out to me and we all had a good laugh.

I am usually the target of these holiday tricks, but I have done some myself. I got my sister a gift card one year and it came in a brown holder. I decided to wrap it in a huge box and tape it to the bottom of it and it was perfectly hidden. When she opened it on Christmas, she said “Did you really give me an empty box? That is so mean.” 

Hopefully nobody plays any pranks on me this Christmas, but I am prepared if they do. 

Standard reporter Bethany Porter can be reached at 473-2191.