True Gifts…

09:36, Sunday, November 25, 2007 ..

Have you ever watched parents… especially the new ones at holiday events? They get upset that the little ones are more fascinated with the box than with the new “whiz-bang-thing-a-ma-jiggy” they just had to buy for their little precious. By the time the kid reaches the ripe old age of 13, I dare to say that most parents can not even recall what the gift was, but they indeed recall the baby/toddler sitting in the box, fully engaged in the sense of adventure.

 

 

I out did my sister with one of my nephews one year by giving him a large light weight box that wrapped way over the top… A box that any toddler would kill for… just the box, nothing in it; he played with that box for months and there are lots of photos of he and his box. They’ll always remember that box; they won’t recall the other gifts I gave, but that box initially pissed off one mother, two grandmothers, and humored a lot of other people.

 

 

I’ve a point here. I even still have my point…you don’t need to get up at midnight after thanksgiving and go shopping to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on gifts. While it is nice to meet the needs of those we love and cherish, it is far more important to build memories and laughter for the future to grow your lives upon. The things we recall from childhood and the remainder of life are not the things that cost, but the time we spend. I hope this year to do even better than I typically do (and I’m fairly cheap) by not spending money and creating time niches with the people I care for and making a memory or two to take into the next era of life for all of us.

Steven (Oz)

12:38, Sunday, November 25, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

Well said, Christopher and I agree 110%. I yearn for the holidays not be so commercialized with hopes/dreams met or dashed on whether or not a certain gift was received. You illustrate clearly what the holidays are all about: creating memories with loved ones.

Thank you VERY MUCH for your support through the poem you provided me.

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18:17, Monday, November 26, 2007 .. Posted by shadedmauve

you are completely right ! My kiddies have always preferred the carton that something comes in rather than the toy.

I’m trying to wind down how many toys the kids get this christmas. We have so much stuff in our house! it gets stupid.

loved the photos of portland – it’s not as green as I imagined. It is very green over here right now, we are getting rain all the time…almost every night. A blessing.

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01:54, Tuesday, November 27, 2007 .. Posted by Auburnhairedartist

Empty boxes are the best things in the world ! Roy has an ongoing mission to locate and retrieve as many big boxes as possible. Being in the service and repair industry, he has axcess to alot of them. Almost all my brackdrop and prop work for Church is painted on huge refrigerator and appliance boxes. Last summer, Roy brought home way more than I needed. Heather took several refrigerator boxes out to the back yard and built a labryinth/girls only club house for herself and her friends. Not to be out done, the boys gathered the remainder, and made a fortress on the otherside of the yard and camped out in them. The whole process of building, decorating and playing kept them entertained for weeks. They even withstood several summer rain sprinkles, untill we had one of our famous Kansas thunderstorms. Then, guess who got stuck cleaning up the mess?

Jasmin was crazy enough to do her pre-dawn holiday shopping this year. I won’t have anything to do with that insanity! I’ve planned out my family activities for the holiday season, and we put up the Christmas tree over the weekend. It’s done wonders to lift everyones spirits, and I am looking forward to a family fun filled holiday season. All we need now is Lots of snow !!

Love,
Susan

From Scott (Scott’s Take)

07:05, Tuesday, November 27, 2007 .. Posted by Anonymous

My son’s favorite “toy” when he was a toddler was a tupperwear container and a wooden spoon…and he played “drum” with it sitting on the kitchen floor.
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<br>I would have liked to have seen the expression on their faces when they saw you gave him an empty box!