Have you ever received a handmade gift from a child? You know the kind I mean...with their little hand prints stamped onto the paper? What a precious gift. It's like you got a piece of the child and not just a simple item.
Well, several years before my sister and I had children, we decided my parents needed something special for Christmas. We didn't have kids so what were we to do? We couldn't press little fingers and toes into a pattern and pass on a cherished gift. So what did we do? We bought gray sweatshirts and we stamped our own hands AND feet onto them.
Now, let me just say, we do not have dainty hands OR feet. I wear a size 10 shoe and have since the third grade. The hands and footprints on those sweatshirts were rather unseemly. We all got a good laugh out of the sweatshirts.
Little did my sister and I know...the next year, we got an equally interesting gift. Very similar sweatshirts that had my PARENTS big ole hand and foot prints on them (and my dad wears a size 13 shoe!!!)
I still have and cherish and wear that sweatshirt. It got even bigger laughs and I smile every time I see it in my closet.
This Christmas, I have a challenge to offer you. Don't just give gifts. Give a piece of yourself. That doesn't mean you have to make odd sweatshirts or any gifts at all. Give others the gift of YOU. That could mean a little more of your time, going the extra mile to help with a meal or any number of other things.
There's no such thing as the perfect gift, but I bet to those who love you most, all they really want is you. Think about what that means to them and make it happen! It's the best gift they'll get and they'll remember it for years to come.
Merry Christmas to you all! I hope you get some reading time over the holidays and I'll talk to you again next year!
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