No Gifts and Gifts

Well, it didn't happen, my taking GrandBoy on a little Christmas shopping trip for his mama and daddy. Oh, we got close. Very close.

It was a rainy, rainy day. We piled into the car. Got caught in traffic. He was chattering all the way. I didn't really notice when he went silent, but it couldn't have been more than two or three blocks before I pulled into the parking lot of the store. I got a great spot, right next to the door, which was very fortunate since it was pouring rain.

When I turned off the car and looked back to check on GrandBoy, I found him sound asleep. Snoring, even. I tried to rouse him, but he would have none of it. Let sleeping toddlers lie, indeed. I waited for about ten minutes, then, to heck with it, and drove back home. Ah, well. Not this year.

However, lest you think he didn't provide Christmas gifts for his parents, let me relieve you of that notion. He laughed and ran around and danced and jumped and brought energetic delight daily. He was quick with hugs, kisses, and "I love you so much!" throughout. He helped make Christmas cookies, which we all ate. He added his creative touch to a card I made for his dad.

In the end, the greatest gift he gave to his mama and daddy was just being Liam. Perfect!

And The Big News Today Is . . .

It's a girl! 
GrandBoy will be the best big brother for his little sister. We can't wait to meet her in May!

Toddler Christmas Shopping

It's a crazy plan. Yup, I know that from the start. But here's what I want to try. I want to take almost-3-yr-old GrandBoy to buy Christmas presents for his mama and daddy. Gifts of his own choosing. With a fairly small dollar limit. And without buying anything for himself. Yeah. I'm looking for a Christmas miracle.

The thing is, I think he's old enough to understand the concept of giving. Joyfully. I want him to experience the fun of searching out and buying something special for the people he loves most in the world. Some little something that will make them smile, maybe a little keepsake. But I really want the gifts to be things that he has chosen. OK, maybe I can give a little guidance, but really, I don't want to do the selecting.

Is this impossible?

I'm fully confident that GrandBoy can do this. I think he will get in the spirit of the season and find some fun, perfect gifts for his mama and daddy. Gifts that he thinks are right for them. Still, it might take a little patience and guidance to toddler-shop successfully. 

Where can I take him to do his Christmas shopping? It has to be somewhere that doesn't have toys and stuff that will distract him to the point of just wanting 'prises for himself. So, Target's out (he knows where the toys are).

I am open to suggestions. Anyone shopped with an almost-3-year-old and successfully passed along the fun of buying for others, while avoiding a tearful meltdown when he realizes he's not shopping for himself? Can it be done? Any timely tips?

Visions of Storybooks Dancing in our Heads

I love a good Christmas book, especially the kid-variety. Some I grew up with. Some came into my life when my daughter was small. And I'm always on the lookout for something that catches my eye and my heart. I wrote something similar a couple of years ago, but that was before GrandBoy enjoyed more than just the taste of a good board book. Here are a few that he's ready to enjoy, I think:

The Little Golden Books 1940s/50s version of The Night Before Christmas. This is one of the very first books I remember as a little girl, and I still get that little girl feeling when I look at the illustrations.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas Well, the Dr. Seuss rhymes get me every time. And it's different - and a different experience - from the cartoon version (and certainly different from the Ron Howard version). Never gets old.


Father Christmas Letters by JRR Tolkien.What an exquisite gift Tolkien gave his children by writing these intricate letters from "Father Christmas." Funny, but Santa wrote just like this when replying to my daughter's Christmas Eve letters. Hmmm.

Peter Spier's Christmas. No words, just lots and lots of detailed pictures, so you can spend as much or as little time as you want talking about it with a child cuddled next to you. Great memories from when Kate was little.

It occurs to me that I don't have any real memories of Baby Jesus storybooks. Perhaps it was because there were so many manger images in our children's Bibles and at Sunday School that a storybook wasn't necessary. Anyway, I'm happy to recant that false memory if something comes to mind.

This is by no means a complete list of my children's Christmas favorites, but they are the ones that first fly into my head when I think of cherished storybooks.

What am I missing?