When the kids were little and my time less pressed upon, handmade gifts were the order of the day. Each year during the Christmas season we would read holiday passages from Little House on the Prairie, and marvel that Laura and Mary could be so content with a single orange, a copper penny, a cup to share between them. So began a tradition of (my) making one significant present for each of them, and often for those we loved as well. The kids happily jumped into the mix with their perler bead designs, hand drawn pictures, simple ornaments, cookies. As they've gotten older, and my homeschooling responsibilities have grown (theirs too), time is more at a premium. Their own time is so busy, and their abilities so caught between the unformed and the expert, that finding appropriate gifts for them to make has become quite a challenge. I made nearly no homemade gifts myself this year (one scarf, the kids pajamas, and I think, sigh, that was it), but found several sweet projects that the kids jumped on with gusto.
Sage made everyone little post-it note pads. She chose the colored paper herself, glued things down and helped tie ribbons. She was tickled pink with herself. Sterling, never one to belabor handiness if he could instead buy a nice chocolate bar, worked hard on making bookmarks for the family. And Siena hand-sewed the grandmas some eye-glass cases. I loved watching (and sometimes helping) them express their love in this tangible way. Purchased gifts are wonderful and lovely, and, honestly, sometimes seem to take as much effort to find and put together as the homemade, but there is very little that resonates with me as the time and attention that working with our hands has. I hand addressed our Christmas cards this year, wanting to really focus on each one, thinking and praying for the recipient. Making gifts is like that - moment by moment, anticipating the person receiving and using the gift, loving on them through the process. It was heartening to watch the kiddos engage in that process for themselves this year!
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