Handmade Joy

Today was our homeschool group's second annual kids' holiday gift exchange. The moms have been doing the traditional "pick a name from a hat" Secret Santa gig for a few years now, but all gifts must be crafted by hand. While the moms have to guess who made their gift, the kids each personally presented to the recipient the gift they made for them. There was a lot of creativity and care put into these gifts, and they were all appreciated.

Cooooold weather at the park, so huddling in a circle was good.

William and friends Andrea and Alex.

Thomas: "What could it be?" (Connor looking on from behind)

A cool gaming t-shirt from Connor.

Michael: "Food!"

Brownie joy.

William: "A cat toy!" from Griffin.

Kittie will be very happy.

Post-Exchange Group Shot.

Happy faces.

One of the things I really appreciate about our group is their genuine appreciation for anything and everything that is hand-made or home-made, from food, to winter hats and scarves, to a gift made especially for them by a friend. It's not just the moms, though I'm sure in each household there has been intentional creation of a culture of appreciation. But each kid who opened a gift had a smile on their face and a "thank you" on their lips (okay, a couple of the littles needed to be reminded by mom). This is a good time of year to remember how blessed we are by having such wonderful people in our lives.

The boys' recipients:

Ava's snowman from Thomas.

 

Ella's birdhouse from Michael.

 

Stella's treasure box from William.