So, what was it?
Many, many years ago I had a plant. It was an Umbrella plant (Schefflera arboricola) and I had it for many years. It was called Elliot. (See end of post for why….)
I had Elliot for around 30 years. He grew, he got cut back, he grew, he had cuttings taken. One of his cuttings became Pete. (Ditto) A later cutting became Re-Pete.
Pete, Re-Pete and especially Elliot were like family members. Unfortunately they had to be left behind when we moved from the UK as the US Government is somewhat restrictive on the import of plants. I found good homes for them, but Elliot had been part of my life for far longer than my wife or children, so parting was not easy. But some sacrifices had to be made by all of us for the greater good involved in the move to the US and Elliot & Co. were part of my sacrifices.
So imagine my surprise and delight when this peculiarly shaped and wrapped present was brought out of hiding. I guessed immediately, and despite all the comments from my wife about the “perfect present” this was one thing I had not considered, or come close to considering. It was indeed the perfect present - based totally on thought rather than cost. And yes, the kids were really excited about the “new Elliot” too - after all, they’d known Elliot quite literally all their lives.
Now we have Elliot 2. No debate or argument was necessary over the name. All in agreement, both on the name and on it being the perfect present. Now, who says I’m hard to buy for? 
Elliot 2 is not too tall, but Elliot started out a mere 6 inches high, so there’s plenty of scope for growth and hopefully Elliot 2 can do that in the new house….eventually.
Note: Way back when, all my plants were named after film characters. The umbrella plant was big and green, hence Elliot, the dragon in Pete’s Dragon. The main offspring was Pete from….yes, you’re ahead of me here.
Tags: christmas, elliot, perfect present, pete's dragon, umbrella plant