Friday, December 19, 2014

Finishing Up the Christmas List

Yes, I know that Christmas decorations hit the stores in October.  And we put up our Christmas tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  BUT that's kind of where we stalled.  I'm just now getting my creche out and there are no lights on the outside of my house.  I have zero presents wrapped under my tree.  I should be in a panic, but I'm not.

In my defense, I used to begin shopping very early in the year and had ALL of my Christmas shopping done by July.  Then along came children and things changed.  I'm usually finishing up on Christmas Eve. Last year we were ordering online and hoping that things would arrive in time to wrap and give. This year, I'm making a concentrated effort to give gifts with meaning so I thought I would share some of my favorite gift ideas with you.  Here are just a few of the items that are on my list to give as gifts:

  • One of my very favorite Christmas decorations is my Demdaco Willow Tree Nativity.  It is with great joy that we take it out to display each year.  I was fortunate to receive the entire set as a Christmas gift from my mom one year and I love gifting friends and family with pieces of their very own nativity.  I like to start with the Holy Family and then add a piece or pieces each year.  I think every family should have a special nativity that they bring out each year.  What wonderful memories are made around the nativity.
Beautiful Love

  • The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian is a marriage-changer.  A must-read for every wife, this is a great gift for newlywed or forever-wed wives in your family.  I had the privilege to hear Stormie speak in person a few years ago, and even got to meet her afterwards.  I cried as I shared with her the impact her written words had made on my marriage as I prayed the prayers aloud over my husband as he slept each night.  She has an entire series of Praying books and I recommend each and every one.  
  • Or how about a cookbook?  I just love cookbooks.  I enjoy trying new recipes, but I also enjoy reading the stories that they tell.  I'm sure I got this love from my grandmother.  She didn't enjoy cooking, but she enjoyed reading a good cookbook.  I think the Creative Slow-Cooker Meals cookbook is perfect because my crockpot is my most used kitchen helper.  
  • Another family favorite is our Little People Nativity set.  We've had ours ever since my oldest daughters were little and it has been touched and played with for years.  I like that it is safe for little hands and it fosters a love of JESUS from a very early age.  Isn't that what Christmas is really all about anyway?

You can find all of these great gifts at your local Family Christian Store -- or you can order online right now.  There's still plenty of time for you to get quality, meaningful gifts to insure that your family doesn't lose focus this Christmas.  Enjoy and be blessed.

This Christmas Has Great Potential,


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19 comments:

  1. I assume you mean Christmas gift, but my husband and I don't really exchange gifts (we focus on the kids). However, the best gift of all is the gift of salvation from my Lord!

    Thanks for hosting this!

    Warmly,
    Kate

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    1. I agree that JESUS is the very best gift of all time! Thanks for stopping by, Kate! :)

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  2. A necklace from my grandparents with three small silver bells that actually ring. My birthday is Christmas, so they picked it out just for me.

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    1. How special! Thank you for sharing that memory with me.

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  3. Hmmm....I've been blessed with some lovely ones. But when I was just out of college with a beater car, my sweet uncle gave me a car! It was slightly used but VERY reliable. And I couldn't have bought one then, myself! :)

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  4. I got a necklace last year from my husband for Christmas. It had all of our boys names on it (we only have boys) plus a special surprise of our baby who is in heaven's name too. Made me cry.

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    1. How very thoughtful of your dear hubby. And what a beautiful reminder of the love that awaits in Heaven.

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  5. I start shopping the day AFTER Christmas for the next year. Takes all the stress out of the holidays for me...but, I DO enjoy just going out and watching others shop and taking in what all is going to be on sale!

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  6. We have several ornament gifts on our tree and they are probably the most special things that we have. We have ornaments from both of our grandparents very first trees, making them 70ish years old. We have a bell from Bethlehem. Those, and many others, make our tree very special each year.

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  7. Hmmmm..... the most special gift I've ever received was when my great-grandmother gave me a tea set she'd kept in her curio. My parents gave it to her before I was born and she wanted me to have it. Just a few weeks later, she had a stroke.
    Dede

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  8. Gifts from my grandparents are some of the most special ones I've received: a stocking my Grandmother beaded by hand, the land from Powpow where we built our house, they continue to bless me.

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  9. That is a hard question! The most meaningful Christmas gift would have to be my little girl. I picked her up from the airport on Christmas Eve and she has been a part of our life ever sense.

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  10. Money - I know it sounds selfish, but all my hubby and I wanted for Christmas was a date night! :)

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  11. This year our teenage daughter worked with her older brother and their younger siblings to get their Daddy and me a gift card to a restaurant and one to the movies knowing that she and her older brother would be babysitting ;) That was the most awesome gift :)

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  12. Is a gift that someone thought long and hard about.

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  13. The gifts I love the most are gifts of time and experiences. My parents took my little family with them on a cruise last year and it was so much fun!!!

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  14. I would have to say the most meaningful gift for me is God's unconditional love. Without that, I wouldn't have his grace, my husband or 3 boys.

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  15. my kids have been my most meaningful gift

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Thanks for stopping by and sharing your heart with me!