Gift Giving
I ♥ giving gifts!
I am blessed to come from a very giving family.
Growing up we shared our love & time freely with one another.
We gave presents for birthdays & Christmas, but it's more the gift of time that stays in my heart.
Many weekends & summers were spent visiting with my Grandmother & Great-Grandmother {whose farms were just down the road from one another}.
We would spend Saturday's at my Mamaw Ayers, playing in the barn {or across the street in the apple orchard.} I spent many hours swinging on the big old swing in her front yard {and the lunches she served!}
She would declare "I don't have much to feed you," then produce the biggest 7-course meal you ever had! {love it!}
Many Sunday afternoons were spent at my Great-Grandmother {Mamaw Bible's} house, enjoying a BIG Sunday lunch with all my aunts, uncles & cousins. The men would eat first {then retire to the living room to "watch the game"} <--- although they really just readjusted their burgeoning belt buckles & "rested their eyes." The women ate second because we liked to take our time & visit afterward. My great-grandmother would sit in her rocking chair in the kitchen while the rest of us helped clean up {such precious memories!}
When Scott & I married I discovered his family is gifted in the language of acts of service {and gift giving}. They are always working on projects & are amazing, meticulous housekeepers {a family after my own heart}. Each time we visit his parents, his Mom has a thoughtful gift for us. Be it a yard flag for our front garden, a memento from a recent travel or holiday decor. She's amazingly thoughtful {and always thinking of others} ... and she shows her love through her actions & gifts.
I've learned A LOT from my mother-in-law in the area of gift-giving. She's the one who taught me the importance {and helpfulness} of Christmas shopping all thru the year. She also introduced the idea of a gift closet {somewhere to stash all the loot you buy!} She's always finished with all her Christmas shopping by late September/early October & is never caught off guard by someone's birthday. She buys, wraps & labels the gifts in advance so there's never any stress {or last-minute running about}.
I've gotten good at early Christmas shopping {the gift-wrapping part is still a work in progress ... I'm usually sitting criss-cross applesauce on my bed on Christmas Eve, wrapping like a crazy loon}. I also started cataloging what I buy for each person so I can keep it straight {because there's nothing worse than realizing there's a gift-deficit at 8PM on Christmas Eve} <--- true story!
I'm blessed I came from {and married into} such generous families.
All my love {and gratitude},
Amy ♥
I am blessed to come from a very giving family.
Growing up we shared our love & time freely with one another.
We gave presents for birthdays & Christmas, but it's more the gift of time that stays in my heart.
Many weekends & summers were spent visiting with my Grandmother & Great-Grandmother {whose farms were just down the road from one another}.
We would spend Saturday's at my Mamaw Ayers, playing in the barn {or across the street in the apple orchard.} I spent many hours swinging on the big old swing in her front yard {and the lunches she served!}
She would declare "I don't have much to feed you," then produce the biggest 7-course meal you ever had! {love it!}
Many Sunday afternoons were spent at my Great-Grandmother {Mamaw Bible's} house, enjoying a BIG Sunday lunch with all my aunts, uncles & cousins. The men would eat first {then retire to the living room to "watch the game"} <--- although they really just readjusted their burgeoning belt buckles & "rested their eyes." The women ate second because we liked to take our time & visit afterward. My great-grandmother would sit in her rocking chair in the kitchen while the rest of us helped clean up {such precious memories!}
When Scott & I married I discovered his family is gifted in the language of acts of service {and gift giving}. They are always working on projects & are amazing, meticulous housekeepers {a family after my own heart}. Each time we visit his parents, his Mom has a thoughtful gift for us. Be it a yard flag for our front garden, a memento from a recent travel or holiday decor. She's amazingly thoughtful {and always thinking of others} ... and she shows her love through her actions & gifts.
I've learned A LOT from my mother-in-law in the area of gift-giving. She's the one who taught me the importance {and helpfulness} of Christmas shopping all thru the year. She also introduced the idea of a gift closet {somewhere to stash all the loot you buy!} She's always finished with all her Christmas shopping by late September/early October & is never caught off guard by someone's birthday. She buys, wraps & labels the gifts in advance so there's never any stress {or last-minute running about}.
I've gotten good at early Christmas shopping {the gift-wrapping part is still a work in progress ... I'm usually sitting criss-cross applesauce on my bed on Christmas Eve, wrapping like a crazy loon}. I also started cataloging what I buy for each person so I can keep it straight {because there's nothing worse than realizing there's a gift-deficit at 8PM on Christmas Eve} <--- true story!
I'm blessed I came from {and married into} such generous families.
All my love {and gratitude},
Amy ♥
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