NW Illinois Stephenson county | I hear ya ! My wife and I agreed not to give each other gifts this year and use that money to rehab a room in the house. She finally figured it out I am "all keyed up" until the holidays are over. Until I got married at the age of 45, I would give small gifts to my brother and his family. When my nieces and nephews were little they seemed to enjoy opening their gifts and playing with the boxes and paper more than they did with their gifts. They were always so excited that they could not eat until they opened their presents. So one year I left the gifts in my truck so we could enjoy our Christmas dinner. They wanted to know where their gifts were. I told them their mother said they had too many toys already, so I gave them to the Salvation Army. Boy were they quiet and sullen during dinner and were a lot happier when I retrieved their gifts from the truck.
As they got older, I started giving each one a universal gift certificate ( a twenty dollar bill) and a gag gift. One year I gave rolls of toilet paper with a candy bar inside the tubes. When one niece was going to move to Chicago to start a new job, I gave her a "Chicago survival kit". It consisted of various items she could use. In a plastic storage container I put a pair of socks with a can of beans in each one. She asked what this was for. I told her for protection in case a burglar broke in to her apartment. A cheap watch I had received in the mail. She asked what this was for. I said so she knew when to buy more beans! I had a funny answer for each item in the kit. We all had a big laugh. My brother told me it was a big hit. She told everybody and their brother at church about her "Chicago survival kit". One year when my nephew's wife ( both in the Aid Force) was deployed in Iraq, My wife and I sent her a big package of toilet paper (of course with candy bars in the tubes). Shipping cost a lot more than the gift, but I heard she had tears in her eyes when she opened it. She gave the candy bars away, but loved the softer touch it gave her over the military grade she was used to. So I ended up giving memories which lasted a lot more than any gifts I might have given.
I am not any easier to give to. So I was asked what I wanted. I said I could always use aluminum foil, but I asked them to make sure to get a roll that was not dropped on the floor since it was impossible to unroll it when the end of the foil was crushed. So one year my nephew Dan gave me a roll of tin foil with the end of the roll smashed in. My brother said Dan had a great time smashing in the end of the foil all day. Another time we were sitting around allowing our dinner to settle before opening gifts, everyone seemed to be going to the bathroom. Turns out everyone was wrapping a roll of toilet paper with a candy bar inside to give to me (payback!).
So I believe good memories are the best gift to give AND receive. My nephew Michael is in South Korea for a year, so thoughts and prayers for all our service men and women can be a special gift as well.
Edited by Jim Dandy 12/12/2014 09:18
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Too many Christmas gifts
