12.11.2009

25 Days of Christmas--Day Ten

Hopefully by now, you know the drill! Here's Jill Savage's question for Day Ten: What gift giving traditions do you have for your kids? I'm not sure we really have any real traditions for gift giving, except that we really don't give that much to our kids! Typically, we give them two gifts each, but there's nothing special about the number two. Last year, Evie and Eloise each got bed sheets (we were planning to get them bunkbeds, but not for Christmas). My sister and I made a whole bunch of silly sock puppets, and I found a small puppet theater, so that was the second gift for both girls to share. Two years ago, I made hooded towels for each of them, and a big wooden dollhouse was their second gift to share. We do fill stockings, but with pretty simple stuff. Last year, I think glue sticks were the biggest hit from the stockings; they also love getting toothbrushes in their stockings! It's been fun to see the girls get excited about giving gifts! A couple of years ago, my sister helped Evie make ornaments for Mr. B and me. They wrapped them, and Evie brought them home and put them under our tree. Christmas morning, there was a big red wagon under the tree, with two large gifts (one for each of the girls) inside. Evie ran right past the wagon and gifts to grab the box she'd wrapped for us; she was so excited to give us the ornaments she'd made that she didn't even notice the gifts for her! I've heard of several moms who give each of their children an ornament each year, and I think we are going to start that tradition this year. I feel a little bad for Evie, who will be missing ornaments from her first six Christmases, but I figure it's better to jump in where we are than to never start the tradition! Do any of you have any good gift-giving traditions to share?

1 comment:

  1. Your girls really do enjoy giving to others... seems like every time I see them they have a paper they colored, a note they wrote, or something similar to give me. When we were visiting HoJo at the nursing home, Mom and I were so busy decorating his two bulliton boards and his Christmas tree... but Evie just kept herself busy making stuff out of our scraps. It was so cute.

    I think it's neat, too, that your girls get so excited about picking gifts out for each other (for birthdays, but I don't remember if you do this for Christmas too...). They get so excited, whisper in my ear what they got for their sister, and tell me not to tell. :) Sometimes they even tell me what they got for YOU!!!

    They sure have good hearts- you taught them young- that giving is better than receiving. :)

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