First Christmas present

Yesterday I got home and the first package of the year was delivered and sitting I the snow underneath my mailbox. Surprises of surprises it was from my Dad. He never is on time.. And this year he's early?? Weird, anyway I open it up, it's from the Noble Collection, a goblet covered in scenes of King Arthur. So dad on his short visit (lasted 3 hours) actually saw enough of my house to pick something that fits in really well with the collection of homemade armor, tapestries of Jerusalem, and a few other crusade era trappings and relics.
Scary that he was so spot on. So now I have to send him something. I guess I don't have to, but in this era of reconciliation we're having, I would feel odd. Then again maybe he's just buttering me up for something. This is two nice things he's done for me in the same year.
I guess I'm stuck on the same question...
Did his sickness and near death change him?
Is he still dying and trying to make amends?
Am I overanalysing a Christmas gift?
Will I ever be able to consider him a normal person and not have to question the motive of every gesture?

I called him after I got the package, sure that he had checked the tracking numbers on the package online and knew it was delivered. He talks like people play chess, other people not me. He takes his time, weighing the intent and tone of every word before he says it. It was always so scary to be threatened by him when I was younger, you could tell he had thought out his threats. I talk like all ADD \ hyperactive person, I jump subjects repeat conjunctions until it seems I'm stuttering. I talk about things I don't mean to reveal then cover it up by talking nonsense. I can't stand the long pauses, he should know that, it's painful for me to sit there holding the phone. I drank a martini for the first part of our conversation pacing the whole length of the house, walking faster as he goaded me with his silence. I gently stirred my next martini so he wouldn't hear the ice rattling when I shook it. It's probably rude to need to be drunk to talk to your own father, otherwise I just get short, abrupt and try to hang up the phone right away. Will we ever just talk? We kind of talked when he came to visit, but we didn't talk about anything important. Just hashed up old memories. I made him an esspresso, had one myself at 1am while we were still talking. I wasn't drunk, and the novelty of him actually being in the same state as me was enough to keep the conversation flowing.
Well thanks for the gift. I said it on the phone, but I kinda mean it. It's been 20 something years since I got a gift from you with any thought behind it. Some hint that you actually know something about me. I don't know what that means to me.