Dave and I have celebrated 52 Christmases as a married couple....and most of those involved shopping for toys or gifts for our kids and then for our four grandsons. For many years, one of my very favorite things to do was wrapping the presents and putting them under our tree. I loved using lots of colorful paper and ribbons....and I was really good at tying fancy bows. Happy, happy memories!
But, probably for about five plus years now there haven't been any requests for "toys". Our "boys" are way past the Fisher Price stage and as teenagers and young adults it's really hard for us to get a wish list from anyone. Gift cards or cash are the gift of choice. Not as much fun to wrap.
I realized awhile back that I missed browsing through the toy aisle at the store.....I missed looking for that special truck, or game, or whatever that was on a little-boy-list. So we've made annual purchases for non-profit organizations gathering toys for kids much less fortunate than ours.
I spent a happy 30 minutes at Target the other day and dropped the bunch of colorful toys at a friend's house this morning. They are on the way to Milwaukee to a women's shelter....and will, I hope, bring some smiles to children unknown-to-me on Christmas.
Teddy bears, Matchbox cars, building blocks, puzzles, a few games etc. I don't get to do any wrapping, but it still makes me feel good to imagine little ones finding a surprise and parents breathing a sigh of relief that Santa didn't forget them this year.
A small start on our holiday traditions, many of which will be altered for 2020.....but this one was pretty much the same as in years past. Fun shopping for me....and a hand-off to an organization for families who need a little extra support.
Jingle....jingle....jingle....
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