Giving Day

What was different about this year's giving day than the past few that I've recorded?  Mostly just the gifts.  But as the highlight of my season, I still think it is worth mentioning. 
Not every person is willing to take on helping with over 60 handmade gifts. 
Did I consider doing something differently?  Definitely.  I was thinking once again it might be nice to have the kids each draw one family name to make a gift for.  Why not make it more simple?
Because this tradition is the essence of Christmas for our family.  It is about giving.  It is about spending quality time with each of my kids.  It is about each child spending time thinking about each member of his family and creating something special for them. 
Neighbor gifts, Christmas cards, Gingerbread houses, seeing the light displays...these things are all nice and I have every intention of doing them every year.  But I usually don't get to them.  It is okay because we do giving day. 
We do very little homeschooling during the month of December.  It is okay because we are learning other things when we do giving day. 
Learning to think of others.
Learning new skills: poetry, sewing, crocheting, drawing, cooking to name a few.
Learning to care for the home and family so mom can help someone with their gifts.
Learning how exciting it is to put love and time into something and anticipate giving it away. 
Learning that their ideas can become real with some hard work and help from mom.
Having hours of one-on one time with mom--something hard to come by in a big family.

What Nathan gave:
Last year Dallin appliqued initials onto Christmas blankets for all of the kids.  Nathan wanted to return the favor.  I had a big huge piece of grey fleece that Nathan sat and blanket stitched around with red yarn.  For me he gave a coupon to help me clean up my sewing room.  I always need this gift after Christmas.  It looks like a bomb went off in there.  He made Brandon a nice plush pillowcase.  Ruby and Daisy got little Santa hats for the kittens.  They have bells on the ends and they are hilarious.  Simon got a truck pillowcase and Sarjaoy got a princess one.  Sullivan got a cute polka-dot blanket.

What Brandon gave:
This year it was extra fun to see  how much more Brandon could do on his own.  He crocheted Nathan a set of juggling balls as Nathan has recently discovered he can juggle.  Ruby got a big heart pillow with her name embroidered on it and Daisy got a flower one.  Simon got a BYU shirt for his favorite little stuffed monkey, Lucky.  Sarajoy got an amazing princess cape done almost completely by Brandon.  He also saved a princess crown from a youth activity to go with it.  Sullivan got a colorful cloth ball with jingle bells inside.  He worked really hard on a great surprise for me:  a heart-shaped stand to hold my earrings.  He designed and engineered it all in secrecy and it turned out awesome!  For Dallin he made a chapstick/nail clipper holder so his chapstick doesn't roll up into the lid while its in his pocket. 

What Ruby gave:
Dallin and I got poems she has written.  I was moved to tears by the sweet little talent that is secretly developing.  She usually doesn't like to show me her writing.  Nathan got a pencil/chapstick case for his string sack.  Brandon got a BYU pencil holder for his desk.  Daisy got a carrying case for her My Little Ponies.  Simon's gift was similar, but meant for toy cars and one side of it was a little road with a car wash and a gas tank.  Sarajoy's was made for ponies or cars and had a road and a bed and a table. She designed and helped sew a gingerbread boy to hang from Sulley's carseat.  Very cute!

What Daisy gave:
We found a wonderful idea online of little marble mazes.  They are made of fleece with the marble actually sewn into the fabric.  We had a great time designing mazes for each person.  Nathan's and Brandon's were more difficult mazes; polka dot and BYU.  Ruby's was a heart.  Simon's was a snail.  Sarajoy's was a rainbow.  Sullivan's didn't really have a maze.  We just sewed two marbles into some fabric.  We added some ribbon tags and cut a bit of a mylar blanket to go inside to make a nice crinkle.  It is a great baby toy!  I got a coupon to do a project with her and Dallin got a homemade handkerchief with a heart that has love stitched into it. 

What Simon gave:
I was so grateful that Brandon was willing to help Simon with this at almost the last minute!  They made a card for each person and glued candy canes on in the shape of a heart. 

What Sarajoy gave:
Sarajoy helped me make, wrap, and give the family photo ornaments for the year.  She was very good at putting the tape on the packages just right. 

Sullivan is still young enough to give smiles!

I made each of the kids a crocheted hat similar to the one I made for Sullivan for Halloween.  Nathan's was black and pink to match his new hot pink skinny jeans. Brandon's was a raccoon.  Ruby's had a horse on it.  Daisy's was a cute ruffly flower one.  Sarajoy's was ruffly with a butterfly.  Simon's was a penguin.

When Dallin was trying to come up with something, he saw T shirts on sale at Jo-Ann's and started thinking of fun things he could do.  The first idea was to make Nathan a black shirt with a hot pink tie sewn on.  So as we talked we ended up making matching shirts and hats.  Brandon's shirt has a raccoon mask on it.  Ruby's is blue with a brown horse shoe.  Daisy's has a flower and Sarajoy's a Butterfly.  He even made Sulley a really cool Sullivan Monsters Inc shirt. 

I was finishing Sarajoy's hat as we started the evening, but I got it done just in time.  It took us 2 hours to give our gifts and share what we love about each person.  It was a rare time where each member of the family was engaged and contributing.  There was no ruckus and no fighting.  We were all just enjoying being together and reveling in the spirit of giving.  It was beautiful.  Dallin and I sat for quite some time afterwards, basking in the glow of the christmas lights and the warm feeling in our hearts and home. 

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