Pregnancy
Memorable Christmas Presents
by Katy Abel
The Best Gift I Ever Got Was...
I can't remember.
It's true: a random, highly unscientific survey shows few adults can actually recall what they opened under the tree on December 25th, Yesteryear. Think of it: you are on the verge of a frenetic shop-til-you-drop holiday spending spree, during which you will spare no time or expense to retrieve this year's Furby or Tickle Me Elmo, and nineteen years from now your grown children will have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA what you gave them, let alone whether they were happy to receive it.
Unless, of course, it was really, really special.
What stays in our memory stores is often not found in a store. Below are four recollections of very different unforgettable gifts:
ANNA
Parent and organizational development specialist
I was 8 years old and I wanted this purple Schwinn bike so badly. I kept saving and saving, probably for a year. It really did teach me about saving! When I reached my goal I actually went and picked it out and paid for it but we didn't bring it home that day. Then on Christmas, my grandfather showed up with the bike, and the savings account passbook. He had bought me the bike and put the money back in my savings account! It blew my mind. I rode that bike til high school.
ELLEN
Parent and hair stylist
When I was 13 or 14, I begged my mother for a razor for Christmas. All I wanted was to be able to shave my legs! Instead, she gave me a pair of socks with a decal of a hairy leg sewn onto the side! I still laugh anytime I think about it - and you know, it's the only gift I can remember from my childhood!
More Memorable Gifts
MARTIE
TV Producer
Every year my grandparents give each of their grandchildren a check for $200 at Christmas. But a few years ago, they surprised each one of us with a check for $10,000. You can't imagine the look on my face - expecting two hundred and opening ten grand. They emptied out their savings account because they said they wanted to be able to see us enjoy the money, not just collect it from their will. I went out and bought a car, and had no payments. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and it gave my whole family peace of mind to know I was driving around in something safe that wouldn't break down on the freeway late at night.
MIMI
Parent and Author
One of the best gifts I ever gave my daughter was a little heart-shaped box with scraps of paper folded inside. On the outside of the box I wrote, "Dear Elizabeth, this is an idea box for those times when you've got nothing to do. Just reach into the heart and grab an idea or two. It's magic, you'll see, always full of notes delivered by me." She loves it and goes to it often to select a paper. Some of the ideas I've included are:
- Get out your musical instruments and tape record sound effects.
- Create your own stationery designs.
- Draw a cartoon strip using two very different characters. One is freckled and frilly, the other is thin and whistles a lot. What happens when they find a stray dog?
Here are some other gift ideas. Often, the only thing missing is the price tag:
- Handmade pillows filled with soothing herbs.
- Homemade soups, frozen and labeled.
- Coupons for babysitting.
- Birdseed balls made of suet and seed.
