I know, you can’t imagine your kids “ooh”ing and “ah”ing over a new towel on Christmas morning.  But this isn’t just any towel, it has their name on it!  Personalizing makes an every day item extraordinary; it makes it special.

It also makes things easier for Mom.  Our kids have 2 bath towels each, with their names stitched on (thanks to Nate’s mom– yay!)  So if there’s a towel left on the bathroom floor, I know whose it is; there’s no “not me- not me- not me” since the owner’s name is permanently woven in. 

I also like having two towels.  I put the kids’ towels on their clean clothes pile, to be put away in their little space in the bathroom cupboard.  Every Saturday night they put the dirty towel in the laundry and get the clean towel for their bath that night.  It saves me from washing towels excessively (Levi used to put his in after each use), and forms the habit of getting a clean towel after 3-4 uses.

My mother-in-law stitched the kids’ names using her sewing machine, but you could embroider or even applique just an ititial if you’re as sewing-impaired as I am.  Better yet, ask for this as a gift idea for your kids from someone in the family that enjoys sewing, so that they can bless you with their hobby.

Nate and I decided early in our marriage that we wanted to be as generous as possible with our parents at Christmas; we wanted to express our thankfulness for all they’ve done for us and given to us our whole lives, and when we were financially able we really wanted to share our blessings with them.  And part of it, too, is that we usually don’t do much for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, anniversaries… we’ve actually forgotten a few birthdays over the years… so Christmas is when we really give to them.

But this past December we were short on cash.  Ok, we’re actually still short on cash, but back in December we were trying to figure out last-minute gifts for some of our family— namely, our parents.  We knew we couldn’t give as we had in the past, but what could we do?  My mom actually gave me the idea: she asked if we’d paint their living room and t.v. room. 

This was significant because I had helped them pick out a beautiful spicy orange for both rooms… a year ago!  They just didn’t have time for a project like that, so it had never gotten done.  I was absolutely thrilled; this meant we could give them something we could obviously afford, and it would be something they really wanted and liked– no gift receipt needed!

Last month I painted their living room, and it was so much fun!  My parents had movies and treats for the kids and just spent time talking to me while I painted; it was a truly enjoyable day for all of us.  I got to start on their t.v. room today and will finish it tomorrow; I can’t wait!  What began as a problem of no money for Christmas grew into a blessing of time spent together, plus beauty in my parents’ home for them to enjoy every day. 

This morning I asked Mom which room she wanted painted for next Christmas, and without missing a beat she said, “The dining room!”  Cool, I’ve got part of my Christmas list done already!

During the hub-bub of December I took our 3 kids to get each other a gift for Christmas.  Since we do only a small amount of allowance, we told the kids we were giving them some money: enough to spend $5 on each person. 

They quickly got into the spirit of things– who doesn’t love to give to others, especially if you’re not paying for it– but Josiah suprised me with his thoughtful heart.  He asked if he could spend his $5 per person on a day at the Mall.  For Christmas morning he made cards for Kyra and Levi explaining their gift, and TODAY we let them cash in.

First we went to get pretzels (with cheese dip!) and a soda; next was a quarter gumball from the gumball machines; then we went for a carousel ride.  The man working the ride was so impressed with Josiah’s gift for his siblings that he gave them an extra ride for free!  Last we ended up at Barnes and Noble, with Nate and I reading books aloud to the kids.  It was a relaxing and sweet morning.

What a great lesson from an 8-year old; Josiah looked beyond the toys that were crammed into the aisles at Christmas-time, and saw something that would bring joy and togetherness.  Instead of giving a ‘thing,’ he gave an experience and a memory…