In my house, this is, sadly, not the year for a
hand-made holiday. Why is this? Exciting news brewing, and all will be revealed very soon... Meanwhile, I have been doing my best to pull together meaningful gifts for the holidays. In my mind, the best substitution for hand-made is always a book or two, but not just any book will do. For children, especially, isn't it wonderful to give something which inspires active play, participation and creativity? At the top of my list for such inspiration is the new book by Marilyn Scott-Waters --
The Toymaker's Workshop. Last year she released
The Toymaker's Christmas which is equally wonderful!
Then there are books by Ed Emberley which encourage children (and grown-ups) to draw. Our favorites are
The Big Green Drawing Book and
The Big Purple Drawing Book, but honestly, any of the drawing books by Mr. Emberley are just wonderful.
Then there is this sweet gem of a book --
A Christmas Angel Collection by Catherine Stock. It's been out of print for many years but has finally been re-issued (which is very good news!) This book contains 12 angels which can be colored, painted, glittered, etc.. then cut out and then formed into beautiful 3D ornaments. You can find this book
here at Chinaberry.
As for gifts for my husband? He's getting books, too. However, he occasionally reads my blog (hello sweetheart!) and so I cannot reveal his gifts here...
And finally, a non-book gift for
my mother -- I bought a necklace for her by
Beth Quinn. If you're looking for a special gift for your mother, sister or friend, you might want to have a peek...
As always with gifts, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." (Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet) And this is the most basic and deepest truth, isn't it? Wishing you a most beautiful season of heart-felt giving!
xo
P.S. To read the funniest post about Hanukkah ever, you must visit Danielle's blog Most Days I Win to read a post written by her husband Matt!
we LOVE the toymaker! we use her free projects all the time & I've been wanting this new book, too. We've been in the same non-handmade boat this year. There was some hope, and I made one thing for Eliza--but then, that's all she's getting and it's not yet finished...anyway, Happy Hanukkah! Hope you had a great first night.
ReplyDeleteThat angel book looks so lovely. Curious about your news ... Happy holidays!
ReplyDelete!
ReplyDeleteI am also excited about your news!
And I'm glad you liked Matt's post! I am still laughing, but don't tell him.