It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I received an email from a colleague who said he is a cynic at this time of year.

I replied that I love the Christmas season and it’s not so much about the gifts but the memories and traditions that come along with the season.

It’s listening to Christmas carols in my car and watching Christmas movies at home. It's reading Christmas stories about love and redemption.

It’s going to get our tree the first weekend of December, pulling out the ornaments and decorations I haven’t seen in a year and placing them throughout the house.





It’s making cookies with my family and making more cookies at home.

It’s finding the perfect gift for everyone I love and then wrapping those presents beside the twinkling tree.

It’s deciding what to make for Christmas Eve, Christmas morning and Christmas dinner.

It’s hanging out with those I love.

Merry Christmas. I hope you find beautiful memories, too.

These Are a Few of My Favourite Gifts

Yesterday I was talking about the success of coming up with THE gift for my little guy, which made me think back to the fantastic gifts I have received from my parents over the years.

1. Anne of Green Gables. If you are looking for a great book, this story about an orphan who is adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert is amazing. I remember discovering this book, carefully opening it and reading it under the twinkling lights of the tree.

2. Hope chest. I didn’t ask for this amazing box that up until recently stored my old journals and hid Christmas presents, but I was so happy to receive it. It’s personalized and I still love going through it looking at stuff from year’s past.

3. Classic Winnie the Pooh bookends. I think I really wanted the book ends that have Christopher Robin and Rabbit pulling Pooh out of Rabbit’s hole at one end and Pooh’s bum coming out of Rabbit’s (oh my, think of what this could have said before I realized how awful it sounded) living space at the other. I think I might have cried. They have a place of honour, holding the Anne of Green Gables series and other Lucy Maud Montgomery books on my library.

4. Desk. A desk of my own with drawers and spaces for writing gear. It now holds the computer and one of the one drawer is filled with stuff for the babe to play with.

Each year I received other gifts that I loved and appreciated, but these are the things that stick out in my mind and in which I will treasure forever.

THE Gift

I love Christmas and I have to thank my parents for creating wonderful traditions and memories.

It’s my goal my son has Christmas memories to treasure as well.

For the past month, I have been struggling to come up with a gift my guy would love. He is two. He just had a birthday. What does he really need? He has asked Santa for a cheap digital camera and as he has been a great little boy, I see no reason to believe he will not receive one.

But what about THE gift from Mommy and Daddy?

Finally after looking at toy flyers and asking others, I came up with THE idea, the gift that will make him happy. And it’s my guy who actually came up with it.

My daycare provider L told me recently that E loves Cailou, a cartoon he watches in the morning with J, L’s husband, while L takes the kids to the bus stop.

Last night we were in the basement, feeding the fish and retrieving the balls he threw down the stairs. He turned on the TV and quite clearly asked to ‘watch Cailou.’

I was writing that story down in my journal this morning when it hit me.

THE gift.

I am going to get our guy a Cailou video, book and doll. We will be a hit.
Now where does one find such a thing? Any suggestions?