Holiday Gift Lists

It’s that time of year when Buddie’s side of the family trades gift lists for our children. I appreciate that people want to get something for our children that they’ll like, and it helps a lot to have a general idea of what the cousins would like, but if I was writing the real list of what I’d want for my children, here is what it would say:

1) The gift of time- Take them somewhere. Do something with them. Take the time.

2) The gift of friendship- Please share your true self with our children. Take time to get to know them. Wade through their rambling comments and quirky ways, and truly learn about them as individuals. Give them the chance to know you and your hobbies and quirks as well. Forge a relationship with them separate from Buds and me.

3) The gift of laughter- Share a joke or a movie or a book that makes you laugh. Our children adore stories that show how funny and silly humans can be. A sly curse word gives them a giggle because they understand the value of surprise in a story. They love stories that share human fallibility. Stories about their parents as children, or you as a child, these are all starting points.

4) The gift of love- Buds and I, we think these children are fantastic. Our nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews, we think the same about them. I’m not sure how our families got so many incredible members, but it did. If, for some crazy reason you can’t like our kids, you can still love them.

5) The gift of a thing- If you find a thing that you think one of our kids will love, get it. It doesn’t matter if it is Christmas or their birthday. Just get it.

If it’s Christmas or their birthday, and you don’t find something that speaks to your heart for them, don’t get them anything. Choosing “there is nothing of interest to me here,” is a valid choice.

There’s my list. The gifts I truly wish for our crew. In some ways, a very tall order, but in other ways so much easier than an order from Amazon.

And to be clear, this is my list. Our crew, they would like you to keep sending the presents and the gift cards.

My name is Ginnie, and I am the only one who has endorsed this message.

Seen in a bathroom stall at a recent medical appointment.