Archives: Christmas Pack 1994 - Reclaiming Christmas
Gift Examples
Index for this Section- A Gift of Talent
- A Gift of Time
- A Gift of Memories
- A Thoughtful Purchase
- The Calendar
- Somebody Else's Middle Name
- Wrapping Paper with Meaning
- A Pang of Conscience
- The Gold Ring
- Diamonds Aren't Forever
- An Invitation
- The Umbrella
Gift Examples
A Gift of Talent
The best Christmas present I ever received was a modern sampler picture made by my oldest granddaughter (who is nineteen). Embroidered in old English lettering is the word, "Grandma" in black on a white background. Over each letter are little figures, done in tiny cross stitching, of my 12 grandchildren each in a pose depicting his or her interest. They are ready to dive, to dance and to play soccer. One is acting in a play, another gardening and one is simply relaxing. The little figures stand out embroidered in different colors atop the letters of "GRANDMA." Even the children's hair is their true coloring. Above each head is the child's name.
My children's families live far away from me. Having this lovely picture on my kitchen wall is a wonderful and constant reminder of each of them.
A Gift of Time
I am a salesman and spend a fair amount of time on the road. I decided that I would give my son a Christmas gift that would last a year, or possibly a lifetime. I gave him an hour of my time every evening that I was home. He could do anything he wanted to with me for that hour. We did all sorts of unique things, played games, took rides, read to each other, built models, but most importantly we talked. We talked about everything from what I wanted to be when I was his age to why I chose the occupation I did, to why I married his mother.
I not only learned about my son's fears and concerns, but we both learned how important it is to have quality time with each other. As we approach the new Christmas season, we have decided to renew our gift. I would hope that other parents might choose this gift as one to give to their children, or for that matter, to each other.
A Gift of Memories
On Thanksgiving Day as our guests were leaving, my sister handed me a small wrapped package, saying "put this aside until later." She gave a similar package to another sister. I took the small wrapped box and tucked it away since my husband and I were going out-of-town the next morning.
On returning from our trip, I thought of that small package and decided to open it. Inside was a poem and a cassette recording. I put the cassette in the player, and to my surprise came the voices of our family singing Christmas carols, and most special of all, the voice of our mother, singing Silent Night (Stille Nacht) in German. Mother died this past September. She played piano and organ beautifully and we children grew up with music filling our home.
What a wonderful gift to hear Mother's voice once again, and at this special Christmas season.
A Thoughtful Purchase
Last year I received the best Christmas present anyone could have given. My father died when I was young and for each of the last seven years I had spent Christmas in a different foster home. Each time I was with virtual strangers, and I never felt happy or loved. Last year was to be my first Christmas alone. My friend was spending the day with family in a nearby town when he called and told me he was coming to see me. When he arrived he told me to close my eyes because he had a surprise for me. When I opened them, I was very touched because he had brought a little tree full of ornaments and lights. Words cannot express the feelings that were going through me. I was not able to afford a tree, yet I had a beautiful tree given to me. And I thought I would be spending Christmas alone.
Anyway, to make a long story short, all I had heard about Christmas came true. My friend did something very sweet and made someone who had felt unloved and alone feel just the opposite. Love - that was the best present I ever received.
The Calendar
The Christmas gift I received from my Mom last year was great! It required a lot of careful planning and effort. Early in the fall she purchased a desk calendar (the kind with two rings and loose-leaf 3X4 sheets which are flipped over daily). Mom removed the individual sheets and sent two to five pages to people (of all ages) who are important to me. Each person was instructed to contribute a little message of any kind to me, and return the pages to her office. By mid-December, she had received the pages and was able to reassemble my special calendar.
Imagine what joy it has brought to hear from my wonderful friends and family members each day of the year. Every day brings a new surprise. Many people wrote about memories, others wrote words of inspiration, jokes or guesses as to what I would be doing on that particular date. Starting each day with a message from a special someone has been wonderful.
Somebody Else's Middle Name
The worst Christmas gift that I received was from my mother-in-law. She gave me a monogrammed sweater. She did not know my middle name, so she picked a letter out herself to fill the space. (I've only been married for 15 years.) I never wore the sweater because I felt it belonged to someone else.
Wrapping Paper with Meaning
A framed piece of Christmas wrapping paper was the best gift I ever received. About twenty-five years ago, my husband was given a very large roll of wrapping paper from his family's bakery that was going out of business. The paper had been used to wrap the bread, cookies and cakes they made. It became a family tradition to wrap at least one gift each Christmas with this paper.
Last year, in memory of past happy Christmases and in memory of my recently deceased husband, my grandson sent each family member a framed piece of this wrapping paper saved from previous years. The originality, thoughtfulness and ingenuity of this gift expressed my grandson's love for his late grandfather and for his family.
A Pang of Conscience
My worst Christmas gift was a last minute "pang of conscience" gift from my husband. Goaded by an in-law who had purchased his spouse a magnificent diamond, my hubby evidently dashed through the local Five & Dime store grabbing anything he saw. There was an atrocious kerosene lamp with a putrid red base, a pair of knee stockings which varicose veins had never permitted me to wear, a short plastic man's style comb, a can of hairspray to which I was allergic, a pair of underwear three sizes too large, a cheap cardboard picture of a man sitting in a boat fishing while puffing on a cigar, and a pen inscribed, "Buy at the Best for Less."
However, to my love's credit, all of the items were somewhat gift-wrapped in a haphazard manner in a patchwork of assorted designs bearing messages such as "Happy Birthday," "Congratulations," "Good Luck," etc. by wadding the tissue around the gift and plastering it with scotch tape. All were dumped in a box from the grocery store. He could not understand why I was not ecstatic.
The Gold Ring
The best gift I received last Christmas was a wedding ring from my three children. During the fall, while working in the yard and woods, somehow the wedding ring I had worn for 46 years slipped off my finger. The ground around my home is covered with layers of pine straw and mulch. All my searching was unsuccessful.
Since my husband had died the year before, I was heartbroken. All fall I silently mourned the bare finger with the obvious wedding ring indentation. It felt and looked so strange!
Imagine my joy Christmas morning when I found a replacement ring with a note, from three wonderfully sensitive and caring children, which said: "We know this isn't the best - but maybe it's next best. With our love."
Diamonds Aren't Forever
The worst gift I have ever received was a pair of 1/4 carat diamond earrings, expensively wrapped and tucked into my Christmas stocking by my husband.
That year my Christmas wish list asked for his time, time to talk together and truly share our lives; his patience when our world is rumbling with the stresses of everyday life; his love to conquer all life's little wrinkles.
Instead my Christmas gift had the cold twinkle of commercial Christmas. We are divorced now.
An Invitation
The best Christmas present I received last year was from my niece and her husband. It was an invitation to spend time at their home until I was well enough to care for myself. I had just had open heart surgery. No money can buy the joy I received from that precious gift.
The Umbrella
This is the worst gift I ever received. As a post-polio victim I have walked on a pair of crutches for many, many years. Would you believe my boss gave me an umbrella for Christmas?
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