The Christmas Pillows

Although this is not one of the pillows mentioned in the story,

it gives a good idea of the type referenced.

Sales promotions, coupons, and holiday discounts grabbed my mother’s attention, and exercising her purchasing power was the greatest of pleasures. If there was a deal to be had, a gadget she had yet to try, or a decorative item that captured her imagination, she was ready with cash in hand. In the last two weeks of my mother’s life, there was just one more thing she thought she had to have—two Christmas pillows from Kohl’s.

I arrived the first weekend in December knowing that this four-day trip would be the last time I would see my mother. With Dad staying mostly out of the way, I fixed Mom small portions of anything she thought sounded good to eat. She took a few bites of a half cup serving of macaroni and cheese she’d requested. A few hours later, she thought chili sounded good. I made her recipe, and, again, she ate a few bites. She was constantly thirsty due to the chemo drugs she continued to take, even though her cancer was far beyond managing. Consequently, I brought her water, tea, and juice.

When the mail arrived on Friday, the weekly fliers from all the local grocery and department stores was what Mom wanted to look through first. This weekly ritual of hers, since as long as I could remember, was done in order to prep the grocery lists, to make plans for other possible purchases, and to imagine what else might make her home all that she ever dreamed it might be. As she paged through the Kohl's flier, her eyes fixated on the colorful photos of their Christmas pillows.

The Christmas pillows were appliquéd with various different delightful scenes. The three-dimensional elements were varied. On the Rudolf pillow, his red nose was made with a small pom-pom, and a real bell was attached to his collar. In the background, the other reindeer were hitched to the sleigh. At the helm was Santa who had a bit of fluff for his beard. On the Frosty pillow, his carrot nose was fashioned from orange felt and stuffed to make it protrude off the surface. The brim of his hat had received a similar treatment. His buttons were real, and the cloth used for his body was a soft white velvet. The Santa pillow had red velvet for the suit, fluff for hair and beard, and a piece of leather for his belt. All in all, there were six pillows to choose from. While making Mom a bit of cherry Jell-O, I heard her say, "I like the Rudolf and Frosty pillows best."

"You do?" I asked.

She flapped the flier at me. I walked over to the couch where she was resting and took a look. "Yes, those are definitely the cutest ones," I agreed.

"Can you go get them for me?"

I was only momentarily taken aback, but asked, "Where is Kohl's?"

She thought there was one in Tampa.

Tampa was a good hour from my parents' home, and as it was already the shopping season, I didn't really want to go. But, how could I deny her? It really wasn't that much to ask. So I said, "Okay, I just have a couple things to finish up, and then I'll see about driving up there."

I fired up Dad's computer to figure out how to get to the Tampa Kohl’s store as this was before we all had GPS so readily available. As I poked around their website, I saw that there was actually a store much closer. I already had plans to meet my sister-in-law for dinner at Carrabba’s and the Sarasota Kohl's happened to be just across the street. I made note of the address and studied its proximity to the restaurant, and then explained my plan to Mom. She had forgotten that they'd built the new shopping center and, always being one for frugality, gave me the go ahead.

Unfortunately, once I was at Kohl's, I could not find the pillows anywhere. I spoke to a sales clerk and showed her the flier, but she couldn't recall having seen them. She found the manager who looked at the flier and sighed. The manager explained that ‘corporate’ often printed these fliers without even consulting with store buyers. I asked, "What do you suggest I do to find them?" The manager said I should try to order them online.

Knowing that time was not my friend in terms of how much longer my mom would live, I worried about having to go back to the house with disappointing news. I sat in the car thinking about what do, and then decided to call the Tampa store. But, alas, they also did not have the pillows. The woman who answered offered to look online for me to see if they might be ordered. A few minutes later she came back with the happy news that both the Rudolf and Frosty pillows could be shipped to the house and would arrive in just a few days. I got out my credit card, and placed the order then and there. They would arrive the day after I was scheduled to fly back home, but at least I could tell Mom the good news.

The pillows arrived as expected. Mom called to tell me how wonderful they were. "Even better than in the flier." She said she had them with her on the couch and was very happy.

It was just ten days later that Mom passed away. I drove, along with my husband and children, to Florida to prepare for a memorial service with family and friends. When I walked into the house, the Rudolf and Frosty pillows were on Mom’s couch. “Oh, they are very cute,” I said to Dad.

Dad looked over at the pillows, tears puddling in his eyes and said, “Yes. She absolutely loved those pillows.”

Copyright DJ Anderson, 2018