The Gift of Giving

Over Thanksgiving, while we were at Andy and Kera's house, my adorable nephew Aaron asked if I would help him do his Christmas shopping.  I was delighted to do so.  He was SO cute, carefully perusing everything at the dollar store.  He was so sweet, carefully selecting things and asking if he could get 2 and 3 things for each family member.  He had something like $23 in cash, and 9 people he wanted to shop for.  He was kind of fun to shop with, and he was pretty receptive to being guided in his selections.  It was a lengthy process and probably would have been less fun had it been my own kid, but since it was just the 2 of us, I had a good time with him.

After that, 2 of his younger siblings asked if I would take them.  I agreed, since Aaron had been so awesome to work with.  His 5 and 7 year old siblings were not.  The did not have enough money to purchase things for everyone and they didn't actually want to buy anything for anyone else!  Thank goodness I took Aaron first, because after shopping with those 2, I wouldn't have done it again.  I survived, but it was tough!

Today, I took Marian and Callie out to the Dollar Store to do their Christmas shopping.  They were very good.  They had a few definite ideas, and then kept selecting odd things and I had to be a little more proactive in their choices.  It wasn't exactly fun for me, but I realized I needed to have a better attitude.  My girls WERE having fun.  They LOVED getting to choose Christmas gifts for their siblings and they were completely in the giving zone.  I realized I needed to encourage their excitement and spirit of giving, rather than hustling them along and making their selections for them.  The were enjoying it so much.  I felt a bit grinchy.

It was delightful that they really wanted to choose things they thought their family members would enjoy.  I'm not entirely sure why Callie was convinced that her father would like a toy knife or gun, but she really really wanted to get him one!  I loved that they were excited about giving.  I hope they never lose that.

Also delightful, is that they spent the afternoon making hand-made gifts for their brother and sisters.  So cute!  I must encourage their creativity and thoughtfulness!