It was a special year for our family. Not because of any major feat, but because of a simple heart change. And not the kind of change that comes when the parents come up with something and drag the kids along kicking and screaming. No, this was an across the board heart change.
My children are older now, so naturally, the weight of Santa Claus has faltered. However, over the last few years, I've felt the need to "keep up with the Claus's" so to speak. It was costly, commercial, and lasted as long as a roll of wrapping paper would allow. Don't get me wrong. My children are kind, loving, and grateful - and I'm not just saying that. I am truly blessed where my children are concerned, but the as the holidays began to draw near, I found that I began to talk to my girls about the blessing of homemade gifts.
As mothers, we've all said it - "Oh, just make me something homemade" or "I'd rather having something you made yourself".
So imagine how my chin hit the floor when my daughter asked, why stop there?
As a family, we all agreed it was better to make our gifts this year with one common theme, it had to be thoughtful and geared towards the giftee. This allowed for each of us to actually learn more about the people we were giving to and better our relationships.
Here's the really cool thing, once we began to talk about it to our friends, they all agreed to do the same thing! A group of us all got together (about 5 families) and had an old fashioned, homemade gifting party. It was amazing to see what everyone came up with and the way minds were spinning thinking about their recipients.
I wanted to share a few of our gifts, both given and received.
One of the hand painted wine glasses I made for my girlfriends.
A handmade God's Eye.
An ornament with a photo of all of our kidlets from a previous birthday party.
A sketch for my daughter. (I'd also like to add, this was made by a 13 year old teenage boy. One of my favorite gifts of the season!)
Like I said, it was a special Christmas for the Easley family. I look forward to seeing the years unfold as my children grow and develop traditions of their own. It's going to be a beautiful 2015!
What are some of your favorite holiday traditions?
Kimmie, what a lovely idea. One of my favorite is the stockings. When my youngest learned who filled them, she said, "So you always know what you're getting? That's not fair." From that time on she always slips a little gift into my stocking and my husband's and her sister's. It's special to me because it shows how loving she is.
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