Drue's News and Views: GIFT GIVING

It won’t be long till Christmas. I would imagine most of us have our shopping done, or near finished. I would hope that most of you are NOT like me when it comes to getting your tree up and decorated. Our tree was bought up from the basement on Thanksgiving, put together a couple of days ago and now I am fluffing the limbs a little along. I think that will take me till Christmas at the rate I’m going so this pretty, brightly lit tree might be just that come Christmas morning. I’ll just get out pictures from the days when there was a tree of some sort in every room and things decorated inside and out. This year we’ll be doing good to get the star on the top of the tree. And do you know what......Christmas will get here and be gone and we’ll have just as much fun, laughter and joy than we would if the entire neighborhood was lit up to perfection!

I try to come up with gift ideas that will mean something to my friends and family. Way back in 1977 when we had six children, two in-laws and two grandchildren I decided to make Christmas memorable especially to those who could not be home for Christmas for the first time in their lives. So I came up with the idea or 12 gifts for each person. They began on December 14th opening a gift each day with the climax (the "big" gift) on Christmas day. This went over so well that everyone wanted to be included, not just the ones away from home. It was nothing back then planning and wrapping 12 gifts each (I also did it for my mother and husband.) But, guess what! The family grew....and grew....and grew! After reaching a vast number of presents I decided to let the parents take over (or not as some have chosen) the year after each grandchild married. Now we only have 19 that I do the 12 days for. Of course every family gets a Christmas Day gift.

Another thing I started back around 1979 or so was writing a story for each grandchild for his/her birthday. I call them my "I Remember Stories" as they are written about my childhood. I began writing these when there were only 3 grandchildren. Those three grew to 21! After a few years of getting way behind with the books I decided to write a story from age 1 through age 18 for each. I’m still way behind, but one of these days I am not going to take on another project (well I won’t give up the projects of wedding quilts and quilts for each of the great grandchildren ..... soon to be 33) and maybe I will finally catch up with all the stories. I’m beginning to run out of memories though. This little pea-sized brain of mine can only hold so much you know.

Now that I told you all about my doings, I want to share something else with you. I asked our 21 grandchildren to share memories of the favorite gifts we have given them over the years. I was hoping it wasn’t the gift of the Ferrari we bought our favorite grandchild as I didn’t want the others to know. If you believe that I have some other things I’d like to sell you on! I was going to condense their answers but have decided to print them pretty much word for word. I won’t use the names in order not to embarrass the ones who didn’t respond. I know that many are busy with family and friends and the hustle and bustle of life and put requests on the back burner and I understand as I am swamped. But, I don’t have little ones needing my attention.....just a sweet old man and three active "kids." Kids as in dogs.

Responses: (I’m leaving off the very special personal notes that I will keep forever and cherish always.)

I have been thinking about special things/memories when I was little. I wasn't sure if you meant things that you had done, but some of my best memories are things that you have done. I loved when you would send us packages when we were living in North Dakota. We would scream when we would see the UPS man coming up the road. I remember getting one particular package, it was full of valentine gifts. I think all it was, was a baby food jar filled with candy hearts and you had put a pretty decorative thing on top of it. But, to us it was so special! I also loved the "I Remember Stories". I don't think I appreciated them back then like I do now. Now that I am grown, I realize how much time you spent doing what you did. I also loved 12 days! I hope to continue that with my kids when they are grown. I loved when you would come to visit and take each one of us out for "special time". That meant a lot and I treasure all the time we spent together. (From a grown-up with 4 children of her own)

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12 days of Christmas has always been so special to me. I always line all of the presents up and anxiously wait for Dad to get home from work so we can open our presents together! I remember at the old house getting this blue rubber ball I loved. And of course I LOVED getting my NorthFace jacket a couple years ago. I wear it alllllll the time! (She had it on today while we were on ooVoo together)

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I have so many memories of things you did, but more than anything the example of your marriage means the most. Seeing the way you and Grandad cherish each other and love each other still is such an amazing example to me. More than any physical gift of money or the letters I still have from you, your hand in raising me and being a second mother really means the world to me. If I think of some better physical gifts I'll pass them right along. (From a grown grandson)

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My favorite things were the I Remember Stories and 12 Days of Christmas. I love both of those so much!! My favorite story was "Feedsack Dresses" and the dress that went along with the story! My favorite 12 Days of Christmas gift was a pencil box that was FULL of sharpened pencils and a pencil sharpener...perfect for a "nerd" like me! I also loved when Granddad would take us to the grocery store and let us pick out whatever we wanted...oh the freedom! I remember not being able to decide between Little Debbie Nutty Bars and Marshmallow Creams. He said, "Well, baby, get both!" WOW!!! That was a treat! (Another tradition that we didn’t really realize was a tradition is that Doyal waits to shop until the family arrives. He does this mainly to let them get the kind of cereal, etc. that they like. It seems more than one grandchild thinks this special time with Granddad is truly special! ..... On a side note.....Once he had two of our young teen granddaughters (cousins) shopping when they called to him to come to the aisle they were in. They were shopping for feminine products!

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I have never forgotten the memories that you have made with me over the years! Traveling with you when you worked for the paper in Park River, burying special memories in the back yard at the Park River house, and spending the summer with you in Lawrenceburg in 1989. I will never forget any of it. I just hope that I can be half the grandparent that you and Granddad have been to me!!! The biggest thing that you did for me was to show me the one-on-one attention or "special time" together. Just sitting down and talking with me at night before I went to bed, or when I woke up and sat at the kitchen table with you to just talk. The small things are what I remember the most!!! (From another grown grandson with children of his own)

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I would have to say the story books you made me for my birthdays. Also the doll house that we made together and all the trimmings that went with it. (This was made from a cardboard box. I think it was the time together more than the "house" itself, although she kept it for years.)

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I will always remember the time I was pretty young and was out grocery shopping with Granddad. As we were shopping around, I spotted a very cute purple hair brush. I don't remember if I asked for it or if Granddad saw me checking it out, but I got to take it home. I was so excited! I know I wasn't living at home any more, but one of my favorite gifts ever is the book you guys gave us last year with your voices reading The Night Before Christmas. It was perfect! (Another tradition is that I have read The Night Before Christmas to my children, my grandchildren and now my great-grandchildren when we are together. After Christmas 2011 I bought 27 recordable books from Hallmark and spent the year recording in them. Then on Christmas eve each family/child opened their own and then I read to them.) A very special memory is when you guys were staying with us in Batesville and it was late the night before I had something "big" at school the next day and "nothing to wear!!". Granddad took me to Walmart and bought me an entire outfit!!.. New undies and everything! Of course, one of the most precious gifts from you is the quilt you made with Granny Gran's clothes for our wedding. I can't explain how much I love that gift! (The wedding quilts are made from my mother’s clothing.) It wasn't the amount of money you guys spent on me, but the thought you put into things.

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Christmas at your house and listening to The Night Before Christmas. Going grocery shopping with Granddad and getting whatever we wanted. Listening to Granddad sing the wake-up song. Going to church with both of you. Having y’all visit us in Arkansas and being here for special events (graduations, weddings). Getting Caden’s quilt made by his Great-Mama! (Caden will make his entry into God’s beautiful world in early March....our 33^rd gread-grandchild) I could go on and on! Oh and getting the 12 days of Christmas from you!

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So.....if you have endured this far I must thank you! If you haven’t then you aren’t even reading this. (Smiles)

I would like to say that when I asked my grandchildren to respond to my request I was not fishing for compliments. I was hoping they would respond with special times, places and memories instead of material things. They exceeded my expectations! I will cherish these, and the more personal comments, for as long as I live. I have received my Christmas present already! These sweet responses!!!

Now, my question to you is this: Why do we steam and stew and get all hot and bothered about physical gifts? Think of the important gifts you have received. Are those gifts material? I remember very few material gifts from when I was a child but I remember watching my grandmother sew dresses for the entire clan ..... all from the same bolt of dotted swiss, the times spent "working" with my grandfather at the depot in Dozier, Alabama, the piggy back rides to town on my daddy’s shoulders, etc. etc.

Let’s make Christmas, and every other day simple and clutter free. If there is going to be clutter I plan to clutter my home with love, joy, peace, comfort, and the teachings of the Master Teacher.....Jesus of Nazareth!

Merry Christmas all!!!!!