Last Sunday, laden with two Carrefour ‘bags for life’, I announced to my son, that I had a surprise for him as I walked into the living room. He said that he had been expecting a surprise. My husband and I chuckled, were about to explain the paradox but indulged the innocence.

Christmas 2012 is probably the Christmas with which many others will be compared for Kwame. I don’t think that we went overboard but he was still overwhelmed and we delayed opening 2 presents to the 26th.

A friend of mine brought his gifts from relatives in the UK. So there was a mini repeat of Christmas morning as he ripped open, among many, a bag of books (always books from my primary School Teacher mother) and Ben 10 puzzles ( 3 years of puzzles from the Civil Engineer aunt).

Though Mummy had said she’d sent me something too, I wasn’t expecting to be so thrilled by the decadent velvet brocade throw that she’d made me. It complements my décor perfectly but that’s not a surprise as she knows that coral/terracotta is one of my favourite colours.

I knew my sister was sending me a handbag from divine Radley, where she works but when I opened it there was also one of the firm’s special edition 2012 red baubles. I took the tree down on 6 January but I’m excited at the prospect of a new decoration for this Christmas.

Later that evening, after we’d done 2 out of 3 puzzles and read 2 out of 5 new books, I was reflecting on expecting surprises. My initial reaction to my son’s statement was to point out the flaws in his thinking.

When I’m called pessimistic, I retort that I am pragmatic. Whichever one it is, I know that if I am expecting anything it is a nasty shock. Once again my perceived wisdom has been challenged by my child. He’s shown me that by living expectantly you don’t have to be surprised by a surprise, only by what the surprise brings.

After opening all his presents, he commented that his relatives must really love him and that he was very lucky. Hmm luck… I used to think that I was unlucky. However, I discovered that by changing my perspective, I started to see instances of good luck in my life. Now, I note these on my gratitude list and they seem to multiply.

Smilingly I settled down to sleep and made a decision to expect surprises. I’ve had at least 2 since then – one was a small cash windfall.

Like me, do you only expect nasty shocks? Should we start expecting surprises?