Things all started with a chiming clock. Not one of those that never needs winding and has a tinny sound, but a mellow tolling one that announced the time with true authority.

It was a treasure of a Christmas present, but it looked strangely out of place sitting on my large, '60s style oak console stereo. (Remember those?) It was with that incongruity that the seeds of change began to ferment. If my husband could have foreseen where his Christmas purchase would lead, he likely would not have taken the trip to Bridgeport, Conn., to buy it.

A friend was selling her Queen Anne-style server. I decided the clock would look just right on it, placed in the dining room where the sound could be heard throughout the house. The problem then became that the new acquisitions made the walnut dining table and dish cabinet look outdated.

It was obvious that I was looking for a change, and I had the good fortune to find someone selling a lovely pedestal table and china cabinet. Our home began to look like a proper New England home.

I always dreamed of owning a crystal chandelier. That was the next step. All this elegance looked out of place sitting on a white flokati rugs, so they were banished upstairs to bedrooms, and oriental carpets were put in their place.

The low-slung, gold velvet sofa made its way to the family room to be recovered; the stereo went to the Easter Seal Society. Without elaborating further, perhaps it can be envisioned what a total transformation the clock wrought.

A similar situation occurred after my husband gave me a microwave oven. This was a fairly large oven (we are talking late 1970s here), and it took far too much of my workable counter space.

The only solution was to take out the back door, move the refrigerator and have a cabinet built that would hold the microware — giving me more counter space and storage under the oven.

With no back door, we needed to install glass sliders at the end of the dining room to give better access to the back yard. Then a deck was needed to connect the doors with the existing patio.

Using these two examples, it is possible to see that choosing a present for me takes serious consideration. As Christmas-gift selection is upon us, I thought perhaps that those near and dear to me should keep in mind that if a microwave could create such improvement for the kitchen, and a clock for the other living areas, I wonder what a diamond necklace and a red convertible could do for me. After all, it's only money. ...

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E-mail: sasyoung2@aol.com