All I Got for Christmas

Presents are my least favorite part of Christmas. Does that sound harsh? I don't mean I hate getting or giving them but it's the pressure that comes along with it. I love Christmas for all the other reasons: church, caroling, and shared stories and memories from Christmases past. Yet, so much time ends up going into gift shopping, wrapping, and decision-making while still leaving worry that you may not have gotten "enough' or 'the right thing". I give up. As you're aware, I threw in the towel and indulged in homemade treats and treasures for many. For others, I try to keep this in mind: give a present that shows I know you and care enough to buy you something you need or want. My own wish lists are based on practicality and the wishes I have that don't make the list are secret hopes of meaningful and significant gifts. You know-it's the thought that counts sort of items. I'm happy to report that I was very pleased with great Christmas takeaways that fell into both categories.

Kindle
I'll start with the biggie. It was actually a pretty small gift but it was certainly the one I was most excited to receieve. It's a gift that keeps on giving and I can make use of it endlessly. Of course it comes with the need to accessorize so I'll be spending my Christmas money doing so! I have already read from it every night since I brought it home AND the book I've been reading was free! I will be able to upload free books on it frequently and always have a book at my fingertips. I'm thrilled with its size, ease of use, and cheaper book selection. The only downfalls are that you need a light to read in the dark as it does not have a backlit screen, I have to download only at home where I have wi-fi but can then read wherever I may be, and I have to accessorize it because I feel that it's extremely unprotected and fragile. Overall, I think I may get the most use out of this gift than any other.

My Sign
My sister got me a sign that reads: "Fort Madison est. 2010". This is for our playhouse in our backyard. It's significant because our home is on Madison Street. We joked that the playhouse could be our fort and it quickly came to be nicknamed Fort Madison. This is made all the more clever in that my husband was born and raised in Fort Madison, Iowa. So, he will have a little reminder of his childhood home while watching his own children play in their outdoor abode. Very thoughtful and meaningful and I can't wait to get it up!

The BIG Gift
This was the big gift we had heard mention of for months leading up to Christmas. We were told by my in-laws that they got us a present that was so big, we'd have to make our 180-mile trip in our small truck. This, of course, came as both good news and bad. What could we possibly be getting that would take up that much space? The first story was that it actually scuffed their brand new SUV when they brought it home and came in 2 boxes-one of which rode on their luggage rack. Next, we found out that Ruth actually injured herself helping Gary get the package in and out of the car and house. When we went to Fort Madison for Thanksgiving, they had to take it to the grandparents' house for storage becasue it had to sit in their front entryway unwrapped up to that point because it was too large to take take upstairs or down.

All of these stories about a box we could not figure out. We hadn't asked for anything that big and couldn't even think of anything we mentioned wanting that they may have picked up on. We were at a loss. My only guess was that it belonged outside. After all, if just one of the boxes couldn't even fit past their entryway, where in the world would something of that size go in our own house? The day finally came to open presents and it was certainly the elephant in the room. It was the last gift to be opened and it was our new patio set! It will definitely get a lot of use especially since Mike considered it encouragament to build a deck sooner than later in our big backyard where only a patio already exists.

The Flashback Pack
We also got a pack that included our favorite movie candies, popcorn, pajama pants and movies. The movies were the significant part. Each was a movie that was a foravorite hwne we were kids. Mike got the collection of all the TMNT movies-the non-animated series! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for those of you still stuck on the acronym! I got Teen Witch and Little Monsters! Both were crowd favorites at our house growing up so it will be a blast to be able to break these DVDs out whenever the mood strikes. It was very thoughtful!

The Card & Ornament Exchange
Every year, Mike and I get each other a Christmas card. I don't think it's a terribly common habit amongst couples from what I've polled so far, but I'll never forget feeling like a great big jerk the first time I got one from Mike. We were newly engaged by our first Christmas and I thought that ring was gift enough for that and the next Christmas at least! There was his cardour first Christmas morning together and there I was with no card to trade in return. Never again! They're sometimes funny, sometimes mushy, always sweet and always from the heart.

Also, every year, we get each other an ornament. Inside the package (most often a Hallmark box) we write the story of why we selected that particualr ornament for the other person. That way, we can read those stories every year as we get the ornaments out. It's a tradition I love. This year, I got:

 

Now, why would Mike ever think of getting this for me? He says I'm the one others come for advice which I find to be very complimentary. Most of all, he says I'm the person he knows he can come to for advice and that was an amazing compliment for Christmas. However, I certianly hope he think it's worth more than 5 cents as the ornament might suggest! :)

His ornament:

A cave man for his man cave! Yes, this was the year we got a new home but we'd done that before. What was significant about this house? He has the finished basement I knew he deserved as a retreat and would deserve even more in years to come as little people take over our space (and lives). Now, his man cave isn't exactly without it's feminine touches in decor, but it's still where his huge TV sits in a dark space next to the fireplace with a mini-bar included so it counts as a man cave!

Time
The best gift of all was the time we got to spend with nearly all of our family and the time we're still planning to spend with others as we celebrate all of the spelendor of the holiday season. Despite the snow, sickness, and mad schedules, we got to see our loved ones and spend Christmas with each other!