Even though we changed things up a bit by giving each other homemade gifts this year, Santa still managed to find his way down our chimney to fill up our stockings and bring the kids each a really fun present.
Somehow, Santa knew that Delaney wanted a new Polly Pocket more than anything. But instead of bringing her a new Polly, he brought her a Polly Pocket board game that came with two new Pollys and four new outfits--hours of girlie fun! Santa brought Keaton a grown-up tool box with a real tape measure--just like Dad's! Addy got a super fun Princess coloring kit (how did Santa know that she is still obsessed with Disney princesses--especially Sleeping Beauty?) And for Mason, Santa brought a walker to help him along in his belated efforts at learning to walk. He'll be cruising around the place in no time!
Santa's presents were a hit, but the real treasures this year were the gifts we made from the heart. Here's a quick run-down on what everyone made:
Dad drew a beautiful portrait of Delaney, based on one of his favorite pictures of her after her ballet recital. He made Keaton and Addy a super fun bean bag set. Mason got a fun shape page for his quiet book.
Mom made Delaney and Addy each two outfits for their favorite dolls, Babe and Lily. Keaton got a toolbelt/apron made out a pair of denim overalls (he is thrilled to have a sufficiently masculine option for when he helps out in the kitchen and the girls don their cutesie aprons!). Mom made the cover page for Mason's quiet book.
Delaney made Keaton a Peter Pan hat (a real hit, given his obsession ever since Halloween). She made Addy a beautiful "grown-up" necklace using beads she chose in all Addy's favorite colors--mostly pink, of course! And she made a flower and butterfly page for Mason's book.
Keaton made Addy a super fun, frilly fairy wand since she too is still attached to her Halloween costume of Tinkerbell. For Delaney, he made a special bookmark since she loves to read. And he made Mason an A-B-C page for his book.
Addison made Delaney a special bookmark, and Keaton a fun felt-covered elephant pen that she chose from some projects we found online. She made Mason a 1-2-3 page for his quiet book.
Mason made each of the kids (with a little help from Mom) a treasure box for their seashell collections.
All of the kids colored a custom picture to serve as the artwork for CD covers that we burned for Dad, as he has been wanting some music for the car now that we have a CD player.
It was so fun to see how excited the kids got over giving their special gifts to each other. And even though the gifts were simple, we were amazed at how enthusiastically they responded to receiving them. We were slightly worried that the kids might feel somehow deprived since they got less than usual, but the exact opposite was true. This year's gifts had more meaning than ever, and were the cause of more excitement than anything we could have bought in the store. It really made us consider why we give gifts to each other, and put more thought into the gifts we choose to give. Far from feeling deprived, we have felt so deeply blessed this holiday season. In Delaney's words, "This was the best Christmas EVER!"
No comments:
Post a Comment