I just got off the phone with my dad. I have a feeling that he has been calling a lot more lately because he knows that we won't be going home to Chicago for Christmas. We missed going home some years ago with very good reasons; living in Tokyo or having just had a baby are good excuses to not travel around the holidays. But this year, it will be bittersweet as my youngest is just 18 months. And my parents remember having the five of us over last year, as a complete family, as if it were just yesterday.
Deciding to stay home for the holidays was not easy. Hubby and I went back and forth about it for the past two months! Travel expenses, a much needed "staycation," and the awful East Coast weather helped seal the deal to stay put. So the boys and I decided to make a really special Christmas gift for the patriarchs of both families. Both my husband's father and mine are not easy to shop for (don't tell them!), but we love them so much we want them to have something super special. Since I had given this type of gift to them many years ago after having my firstborn, I knew this present would be a hit again.
Just as we suggested earlier this year to end your school year with a scrapbook or yearbook, I thought a calendar to show how much the boys have grown over the past months would be a very neat idea. Both abuelos have their own offices and I knew they would display them with pride. A gift that truly lasts a lifetime.
For this project I chose Shutterfly and had my oldest, Diego, help me pick out the pictures and suggest what months we should place them on. He was very cute while choosing the template that has the basic seasonal themes (hearts for February, leaves for November, etc.) because, "Mami, it's a calendar." Jajaja! Right. Although we are mailing the gifts and they boys won't get to see their grandfather's faces when they open their neatly wrapped gift, for now, Diego is the only one of the three boys who understands what it means to give a gift with all his heart.
Nevertheless, even our three year old constantly asks for his abuelitos, and he doesn't quite understand that they don't live in the beautiful house down the block. My job is to always talk to them about the true meaning of Christmas, their extended family whom they adore, and the special things we can do from afar.
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and wish you nothing but the best for 2014!!
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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over
at My Friend Betty Says...