“Mom, what are you doing on Thursday, December 27th, at 1:00?” a question from my son and the beginning of the mystery that would become one of my Christmas presents this year…

I wasn’t doing anything, but I still wanted to know what he had in mind. Of course, he wouldn’t tell me.  He only told me to leave that date and time open. I tried to finagle it out of him, after all, we Mother’s do have our tricks.

“Do we need to be somewhere at that time or is that just the time you’re picking us up?”

“That’s when it starts, but it’s in Oviedo so you don’t need a lot of time to get there. That’s all I’m telling you.” He knows me well.

I took my little bit of information and started to think…something in Oviedo that started at 1:00 on Thursday, December 27th. I had all the information I needed. I did some research and found only one thing. A Question and Answer time to help Alzheimer’s/Dementia Patients and their Caregivers.

I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I truly hoped this was not my gift. Though I know I can be forgetful at times, I prefer to blame it on the workings of a creative mind. I was pretty sure and very hopeful that my son had other plans for me.

On Christmas day, I was given my gift, a slightly chunky envelope. In it was a card with a piece of paper tucked inside that served as tickets to a one time showing of Peter Jackson’s “They Shall Not Grow Old.”

I had no idea what this was until Eric showed us the trailer. Peter Jackson, Director of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit fame, had taken 100 hours of WWI footage and restored, slowed down, and colorized it. He added the voices of actual WWI veteran accounts of their experiences, put it all together, and  turned it into an amazing  documentary. Four years in the making, it was a celebration of the centenary of The Great War. I was in History-lovers heaven!

The icing on the cake was a half hour commentary after the credits in which Jackson shared how they did it all. One of my favorite parts was Peter Jackson himself.

I couldn’t help but think of him as an over-sized Hobbit. They showed him as he was working on this project wearing comfy looking shorts, a slightly crumpled shirt, and bare feet. They weren’t especially hairy, so I guess he’s not a Hobbit. My husband says when you have as much money as he does you can dress any way you like. I’m sure that’s true, but I dress the way I want even without money.

I am happy to say that December 27th, at 1:00 was a wonderful surprise. A Great Documentary about The Great War. Thank you, Son. It was a very big deal.