The gift of love…

A few years ago I was having a hard time coming up with a Christmas gift for my husband’s (and whom I consider mine as well) grandma or Nonie as we call her. She was close to ninety and really didn’t need a thing (or so she always tells us).
I had this light bulb moment…she has lived almost ninety years and I’m sure has enough Christmas sweaters, fuzzy slippers and flannel night gowns to last her another ninety years…this year it’s going to be from the heart.
I got the entire family on board with my plan. We each wrote a quick note to her about a fond memory we had shared with her throughout the years or really anything we wanted to say. So, each child, grandchild, and great-grandchild wrote their own little message.

I then found this little antique looking box

I covered the inside with some material
and ribbon that reminding me of her

We placed the little messages in the box

On Christmas day the box was passed around and each person

 read a message to her. She loved the little messages that each of us

wrote for her, and what made it even more special was reading

 them aloud on Christmas. The entire family was touched in some

 way by the messages. Some were funny, others were sweet, and

some were just plain tear jerkers. Some handwritten, others typed.

Here are a couple of my favorites...

There is one other reason that the reading
on Christmas day was so special…

you see, Nonie is blind.

So, she would have never known how special that little antique box was

 had we not read the messages aloud that day.

No one has to wait for a special family moment or until they are ninety

to express their feelings but to this mother, grandmother,

and great-grandmother it was (in her words) the best Christmas ever.

Maybe this year, forgo the expensive gifts and go for a hand-made treasure like this one.

In case you are wondering…

Nonie is still with us and will celebrate her 93rd birthday in January!

My friends, I wish you enough!