Christmas Surprises

Carson just loves surprises!  Any gift list he has you can count on a line item being "Surprises."  Last year for Christmas Austin surprised Carson with a fish tank and the promise to help him get it set up.  It was totally unexpected and was very thoughtful of Austin.  So thoughtful that it brought tears to Carson's eyes.  He was so overjoyed he didn't quite know what to do.  That will be a fond Christmas memory for many years to come.  It just so happens that we had another opportunity to surprise Carson again this year.

As you all know Carson loves the violin.  He loves to listen to violin music and over the last two years has learned to play the violin.  What many of you might not know is that Carson had to reach a certain point in his piano mastery before he could pick up the violin and he had to help purchase his instrument.  He saved and saved and dedicated himself to learning what he needed to on the piano.

Since he began playing the violin Carson has had to move from a 1/2 size to a 3/4 size and needed a full size.  Each time he had enough to cover half of his instrument through savings and resale.  The full size was going to be quite a stretch.  He was saving EVERY penny.

At Grandma Hirons' funeral we were approached by a distant cousin who found out Carson played the violin and told us that she had some violins that had been in the family for years and she would like Carson to have them.  Carson was very excited!  We didn't know what condition they would be in or if they were even playable.

When we got the violins in November we found they needed a lot of attention.  Grandma G, Cousin Geri and I decided that for Christmas we would all go in on getting one of the violins repaired for Carson as a surprise. At a family gift exchange right before Christmas Carson got a can of olives (which he was totally fine with and excited about), but when Grandma asked him if that was all he got she was led him to the closet where he found the violin.

Cost to repair one family heirloom violin:  $500

Cost of Carson's surprised expression and tears of gratitude:  Priceless

He named the violin Abel after his many-greats uncle Abel St. Germaine who purchased the violin in the early 1900s and played it in the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.  Uncle Abel then passed it along to Barney St. Germain when he came home from France at the end of World War I.  Uncle Barney could play any tune he heard and would always play at family gatherings and social functions.  Cousin Geri was gifted this violin at the age of 12 and was able to play a duet with Uncle Barney before he passed at the age of 85.  Several cousins tried the violin and decided it was not the instrument for them.  We are glad it has fallen into Carson's hands.

Carson was also given another full size violin that was cracked and beyond repair, but we put strings on it and it plays.  Carson cleaned it up and will keep it for a "practice" violin.  The 1/2 size violin that also came into his hands was in good condition.  We have cleaned it up, put strings on it and plan to sell it.  The price we receive from that violin will go into a music education fund so Carson can continue to pursues his violin talent in the years to come.