Gift Giving is always the best during winter when it might be the  the coldest time of year in terms of weather, but it can also be the warmest in love and cheer thanks to that wonderful spirit of giving. Of course, we all love getting presents over the holidays, but there’s something extra special about seeing someone we care about open the presents we so carefully chose for them. That’s why our practice is taking a moment to look back on our favorite memories of gift giving!
Our Team’s Favorite Christmas Gift Giving Memories

Denise: Probably my best gift giving memory was when our boys were really little. My husband and I decided that we wanted to give the boys a big combo gift from the two of us after they had already received everything else from Santa Claus.  I remember it was early Christmas morning in Southern California so it was much warmer than here in Chicago, but chilly to us at the time. We had bought them a full size sports themed jumper.  We had gotten up really early and set it up in our back yard. Once the boys had finished opening their gifts we told them both to let the dog out to the back yard.  When they opened the back door they saw the jumper and just ran out in their pj’s and started jumping.  We literally had to drag them in to get ready to go to grandma and grandpa’s house for the rest of the day. I still remember the excitement in both of their faces that morning. That is a memory I will cherish forever. 

Monique: The best memory of a gift giving to someone was for my spouse’s 25th birthday. He never makes a big deal about his birthday and rarely cares to celebrate. However, one year in particular I made it my mission to surprise him. I like to think that I am a crafty person and could make just about anything, with the help of pinterest. So then it began, I wanted to make all of the decorations myself, plan everything myself, and execute it all without his knowledge. It took me about three weeks to make all of the decorations which included, a handmade personalized banner composed of 22 letters and numbers, twine, and grommets. Included in the decorations were also hand painted wooden letters that spelled out his name, 50 latex balloons I blew up, Helium balloons filled at a local party city, streamers from floor to ceiling, and a cake designed by yours truly from a local bakery. I had about three hours to get everything put together while he went out with a friend and once he came home, VOILA! He was shocked, surprised, and most importantly appreciative. The reward in itself was not expecting anything in return but putting forth the time and effort just to see someone else smile. I would consider myself a good gift giver and by good I mean I try to buy things that are thoughtful as well as meaningful. I enjoy opportunities where I can pretend to be “Santa”. After all, I find more joy in giving than receiving.

Looking For Fun Gift Exchange Ideas?

If you’re looking for a new gift-giving tradition to try out, take a look at a few of the ideas here. We’ve shared two of the ones we thought were unique!

• “Cookie-swap packing party. Besides cookies to swap at the party, guests bring extras, along with metal tins, takeout containers, plastic boxes, and packing materials. Together, you carefully box up the extra cookies to ship to out-of-town family and friends.”
• “Swap toys with Santa. Along with cookies and milk, leave (gently used) old toys under the tree on Christmas Eve for Santa to “take back to the North Pole.” (You can donate them to an organization like Toys for Tots or Goodwill.)”
• “Wine Exchange Parties are a lot of fun.  Every adult brings a bottle wine valued between $10-15.  Everyone draws a number and they pick the bottle of their choice in the order they are called.”

If you’re trying to think of ways to teach your children the joys of giving gifts, check out this short video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpBZxuNVDBI

What Are Your Favorite Gift-Giving Memories?

We’d love to hear some of our patients’ best gift-giving stories, so share yours with us in the comments below or on Facebook. Whether they’re sweet or funny, we can’t wait to read your stories! We hope you make wonderful new gift-giving memories this holiday season!

Thank you for always being our valued patients and friends!

Top image used under CC0 Public Domain license. Image cropped and modified from original.