30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 28: Gift

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35

I remember the first time I had a job--other than babysitting. I was 14, and the job (if you can call it that) was scooping ice cream at Baskin-Robbins in the mall. It was only part-time work, but when I opened that first paycheck for over $80, I was giddy, and began planning how I would spend it.

Surprisingly, the thing I wanted to do most was buy gifts for my family. I was so proud that I could take my own money and pick out Christmas presents that I would wrap myself and watch excitedly on Christmas morning as my mom, dad, and sister opened them. It definitely was just as good if not better than opening my own gifts that morning.

I always enjoyed watching my mom open gifts as her reaction was just so great. Whether she needed, wanted, or already had three of the same item, she would oooh and aaawww over the gift as if it was the best present in the world. My daughter has picked up the same lovely characteristic. I have tried to be that enthusiastic when opening gifts, but the level of enthusiasm is definitely forced on that third pair of slipper socks--"one size fits all."

I am thankful for gift-giving opportunities at Christmas and all year long.

Countdown to Christmas - Photo Challenge - Day 22:WRAPPING

That's a wrap!

I wrapped the last two gifts today.  I have been doing pretty well keeping up with the wrapping as the gifts were purchased so it wouldn't be so overwhelming at the last minute.  

Well, the last two personalized gifts arrived yesterday from the seller I found on Etsy, and they are wrapped and under the tree.

Wrapping, like food prep, is time consuming (if done correctly and with care); and just like eating, the unwrapping takes no time at all.

From a roll of gift wrap, to neatly encased packages, to crumples of paper strewn hastily on the floor--the whole process seems to be over in a flash every year.  

When we had a cat, the use of bows was dispensed as all the cat wanted to do was eat or play with the decorative ribbon.  

An amazing time saver was the invention of the gift bag.  A few strategically placed wads of tissue paper inside the top of the gift bag, and you have yourself a very classy looking gift in a fraction of the time it takes to wrap a box with pretty paper.  The odd-shaped boxes are especially good candidates for a gift bag.

I remember the year I decided to play Santa.  I think I was 14 years old and had my first job with my own spending money.  I used aluminum foil to wrap the gifts I bought.  

My brother-in-law's idea of gift wrapping was a brown paper grocery sack and some strategically placed staples.

On occasion, I have even used freezer paper and newspaper to wrap presents.

One year, I made my own gift tags with several layers of card stock and colored paper, a fancy zigzag stitch around the edge, and a button.

My mom's neighbor made and sold sets of gift tags using images cut from recycled Christmas cards, construction paper, and ribbon.

A cousin on my mom's side uses a different wrapping paper for each one of her grandchildren--that way they can quickly identify which (and how many) gifts are theirs underneath the tree.

My mom made certain that the wrapping paper used to conceal Santa gifts appeared no where else under the tree, and leftovers from the roll could never be discovered anywhere else in the house.  I tried to carry on with that tradition when I was a young mom playing Santa Claus.  Like Mom, I would even wrap the stocking stuffers with that special Santa gift wrap.

There are so many creative ways to wrap (and disguise) gifts.  The fact that the receiver wastes no time on the reveal just means it is better to pick up four to five rolls of gift wrap on an after Christmas sale and save some money on next year's wrapping.

Countdown to Christmas - Photo Challenge - Day 14:GIFT

Mom left a special gift for me this Christmas.  It was full of the love and special remembrances that could only come from my Angel Mama's thoughtfulness.  

A couple days ago, I had gone to her house with a specific list of items I wanted to take back home with me.  I was in her master bedroom closet and noticed a gold box.  I lifted it from its spot on top of a cardboard box full of old photographs.  I'm not sure what compelled me to open it as I didn't remember what was in it, and it certainly didn't contain any of the things I had come to collect.

As I lifted the lid and unfolded the festive green tissue paper from around the contents inside, my breath caught in my chest.

Three unrelated but very meaningful Christmas ornaments were tucked inside...a purple butterfly, a tray of coffee, and a small box tied with a ribbon that had a poem attached.  Of course, my purple butterfly was Mom's way of saying she is okay, and the tray of coffee ornament had special meaning as Mom and I loved to enjoy lattes together.

But the note on the little gift box ornament brought me to my knees and reduced me to the all-too-familiar mixture of tears--tears of joy that Mom is still reaching out to me and showing me she is doing well, and tears of sadness because I miss her compassionate smile and her understanding eyes so very much.

The poem reads as follows:

This is a very special gift

That you can never see.

The reason it's so special is

It's just for you from me.

Whenever you are lonely

Or even feeling blue,

You only have to hold this gift

And know I think of you.

You never can unwrap it.

Please leave the ribbon tied.

Just hold the box close to your heart

It's filled with love inside.

For the last several years, I have had to do all of Mom's shopping for Christmas.  I have always known what she was giving me, but I would wrap it up anyway so I would have something to open from her on Christmas morning.  

This year, Mom surprised ME!  Not only did she surprise me, but I could not have chosen a better gift had I done the shopping myself.

Thanks, Angel Mama!!

Love you to the Moon and Back!