Christmas was a special time for us this year. I heard from so many that it was difficult to get into the Christmas spirit, and I must admit that I felt the same way for several weeks leading up to the Holidays. Perhaps it was the weather, the poor economy or the state of the world. At any rate, one thing that helped get me in the mood was the fact that we made a lot of homemade gifts this year. I've complained about the commercialism of the Season for years, and finally decided that I was going to stop griping and start doing something to make it different this time. So, we threw out the big shopping lists and tried to do as much as we could do ourselves. I, uh, quickly realized that one should probably be a bit more competent in the craft department than I am, so we expanded our criteria to include vintage items as well. (Phew!) The end result was that we had one of the best Christmases that I can remember.
Jordan even got into the spirit of things, and he searched his shed for spare parts to make each of the kids
very cool gifts: a kitchen set for Annabel and a tool bench for Thane.
We were blessed with many wonderful hand crafted gifts in return: quilts, cookies and other culinary goodies, an amazing embroidery print of our home, and a huge stack of "IOU" coupons for such wonderful treats as help on the farm, a home cooked meal delivered to our door, quilting/sewing projects, quality time spent with grandparents, babysitting, a family ice cream night, etc., etc.
All of these gifts were great in and of themselves, but the best part was the gift of time and energy that was put into each present. I think that's what is often missing during the Holidays (and the rest of the year for that matter). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE giving and getting gifts and gift cards, but a homemade item (no matter how small) that someone took the time to plan and make is a special treat indeed.
Just ask my kids. Some of their best memories of Christmas was spending time with their favorite people in the whole world - grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Jordan's sister, Abby, who lives 3 hours away, was an especially loved relative this year. Despite the fact that she was exhausted, she humored the kids and spent much of the day entertaining one or more of her nieces and nephews. They were thrilled! And Abby? Well, maybe not so much...
We hope you had a great Christmas, too!
