My younger daughter told me last night I’m the hardest one in the family to buy gifts for. I laughed and said that’s probably because I have everything I want. She looked at me like I have seven heads. Okay, sure, I would like to get my favorite recliner reupholstered and new carpeting for the front room, but such mundane someday-they-would-be-nice-es aside, I’m probably the most contented person I know, so far as THINGS go. I don’t want any more things.What I value most in my life right now are the people I love and the time I get to spend with them. I can never get enough of both of those. So keeping that in mind, dearest offspring, here are some ideas of what mama bear would like from her cubs for Christmas.
1. Read any Jane Austen book and then plan a “Jane Junket” where we watch the mini-series corresponding to that book (actually we have two!) and maybe even take in the additional movies, “Becoming Jane” and “The Jane Austen Book Club”. I know this would involve a lot of time but you have Christmas vacation coming up and you did ask what I wanted. ☺
2. Take me out to lunch. I don’t care where we go or what we eat, how many coupons you use, what the specials are, or how cheap the meal is, so long as you don’t look at your watch, we have a nice leisurely meal where I can drink coffee and we can talk about nothing and everything and not be in a hurry … !
3. Invite me to have a pajama party with you and your sister. You may even invite over one of your friends that I call my third daughter (you know the girls I mean). Let me hang out with you, watch movies, decorate cupcakes, eat ice cream, tell ghost stories, get my hair done and pretend I’m girl again. Maybe you'll be surprised to find out how fun your mom can be!
4. Surprise me by showing up at my office one day during the holidays. You don’t have to bring lunch or even help me do any work. Just drop by and see how I am. If you stayed for a short visit, it would be heaven.
5. Go to Mass with me one day during the week without me asking. That’s it.
6. Run away for a day to someplace neither of us has ever been to before.
7. Spend the afternoon/morning at Barnes and Noble. Find a book we both like which there are two copies of. Find comfy chairs near each other and speed read it. Then over café mocha or hot chocolate talk about it.
8. Just hang out with me some Friday or Saturday night. With the Christmas tree up, we can talk, play a game, try out a new recipe, work 3D puzzles, walk around the neighborhood and look at the lights, or do something else which you think up.
9. Get out our book and start writing in it again. Tell me something about yourself you have never told me before.
10. You! You are the very best gift to me. Decide how to ‘package’ yourself. By that I mean, you figure out a fun thing we can do together.
These are some ideas. I hope they help.
I want to be with you. I want to see you, hear you, enjoy your company and know that you are safe and well. I want you to be good, wise, upright, kind and true. I want you to know, love and serve God in this life so that we may all live together with Him in eternity.
I want the same thing for Christmas Mary wanted: God’s Will for my child. May He bless you this Christmas!
13 comments:
Your writing is touching, I can nearly feel it, a certain kind of maternal energy in it that I know. And it's thought-provoking, too. Time together threads through your entire wish list. Hardly anything else matters, does it. I know I nearly explode with delight when I know I've crossed my kids' minds and they stop bits of time, for me. Sometimes in big ways but mostly in small charming incidental just right ways. I think my favorite of your ideas is #10, and anything that includes coffee. At Barnes and Noble is good.
Also, In response to your comment. I'm getting more and more excited as time passes about the site and ideas for it and you're not helping matters with praise like that :) !
Warm thanks and good wishes to you and prayer for you, KathY (aspiring...)
Hi KathY!
Yes, time together is what it's all about ... and especially, enjoyable, memorable time together. When they were younger, I made gift lists like: 1.) clean up your room; 2.) be nice to your sister; and 3.) remember your prayers without being reminded. Necessary and important but the sort of things which make teens' eyes roll. This time, I tried to include things we would both enjoy, even if it wasn't something they would ordinarily think was fun ... until they tried it. I figure if they pick #4 or #5, a choice which doesn't look fun at first glance, I can surprise them with something extra.
My oldest daughter thought I wanted ALL TEN items on the list!
NOT SO! The list, dearest daughters, is just to give you some flexibility! I'll be happy to get any one of the items. Very, very happy! ♥ ☺ ♥
Have a Blessed Advent KathY!
12/10/10
Stopped in looking for your next post.
Good morning :) !
What a beautiful list. I find myself wishing for all of them, or something very much like them. I hope you get them all.
Much of the "Christmas spirit" is about love, and no love is (or should be) closer than family.
Wish for all the good things your want and deserve, but never fail to give thanks for all the blessings you have. They seem so fleeting.
KathY,
Next post is up!
DNBA,
Glad you like and "get" the list! Family is so precious and with all the people we know who have lost loved ones recently I am doing my best to treasure every moment I have with those dearest to me.
May you have a blessed Christmas!
Good Lord, but I wish I lived closer to you. Be good to your girls. :-)
Oh Booklady ... I have missed you SO MUCH!! I SO enjoy reading your writings!! I love this blog entry, and I'm going to share it with my kiddos if you don't mind - because I'm right there with you - these are some of the best gifts imaginable to my heart as well. Well done dear soul, thank you for writing this, and I pray your Christmas with your family will radiate Christ and His blessings for you all!! ((hugs!)) and love!
I wish I had a friend like you here in Florida. We like the same things, and we would have a blast.
MLS607, Yes from our correspondence I know we would have a blast! Ah dear friend, someday ... someday!
God bless and have a blessed Christmas! ((HUGS!))
Morning Star!
Miss you too! Take care and thanks for the kind words! I'm glad that my list resonates with you too!
Joanna!
I wish you lived closer dear niece! Yes, I try to be good to the girls. You be good to the folks back in IN as well.
Christmas Blessings to both of you!
Forgot to say that the photo is adorable. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.
i wish I grow up to be a mom like you.
Love from India :)
Post a Comment