Cloch na Smoochan

The story of Kent's gifts to me for our first Christmas as a married couple is one that we enjoy retelling for laughs.  Truly, I was not heartbroken to receive a Scumbuster that year.  If there were any lingering feelings of disappointment, though, this year's gift erased them all.

Kent was surprised that I liked this year's gift so much.  After all, it was a quick order online, a coat of paint brushed on by #2, and a few minutes of writing.  Maybe the simplicity of it makes it even better.  There is so much for me to like about this gift: it's practical, it matches the decor without being obtrusive, it strengthens our marriage, and it came with a story.

Kent used to write for me.  When we first started dating, we would sit in a park and read each other's creative writing efforts.  It was his letters during his two years of missionary service in Mexico that revealed his soul and cemented my love for him.  Occasionally, I'll still get a poem for Valentine's Day, but his written wooing was mostly concentrated on our courtship.  When he does take a few minutes to write, and the words flow with no eraser marks, it makes me feel special.

Here is my Christmas gift:

The Kissing Stool (Irish: Cloch na Smoochan) was set into the White household late in the year of our Lord, 2014.

The father of the White family would arrive from his toils at the end of the day and find himself set upon by his affectionate wife.  The goodwife Mary would place her lips upon his, humming gently whilest her eyes closed.  No sooner had she cast him under her charms, but the spell was broken as she had to retreat from his embrace.

Making up the seven inches of
height differential.

The goodwife complained that her neck was too delicate to reach up at such an unnatural angle for any lengthy duration.  Seeing his wife distressed by the difficult circumstances in which they barely touched, the householder took it upon himself to make the difficult trek to the Amazon.  There, he found a worthy tree which would support the weight of their tremendous love.  He made the Kissing Stool, and presented it to her on Christmas day.

According to Legend, kissing while on the stool endows the kisser with the gift of great flattery, sweetened by humor and flavored by wit.


I love this guy! xoxo