A Grand Gift Idea: What I’m Giving My Children for Every Holiday

2014’s Coolest Gifts for Kids. Holiday Must Haves for 3 Year Olds. 15 Unique Gifts for Boys. These lists are everywhere: the covers of magazines, the internet, and places I shop. They showed up just before Halloween and I’ve been going crazy ever since.

“What am I going to get them for Christmas?”

“Where can I find it?”

“Will they like this or that?”

“How can I give them the best holiday ever?”

All these questions made me think about my childhood Christmases and what made them great. I pictured my blue Schwinn bicycle. It’s the only gift from Santa I can recall. What I do remember, is my grandparents being with us for over thirty Christmases. I remember the smile on my grandmother’s face when I raced to give her the first hug. I remember her taking tins, heavy with cookies, out of her suitcase. I remember my grandfather’s laughter at all the silly things I did. I remember him playing games, just that one night a year. I remember her singing at church. I remember lighting my candle from his. I remember the sweaters she knit and the dollhouses he made. I remember it never really felt like Christmas until they were with us.When I thought about that bike and my grandparents, it was clear to me that I should focus less on the Top Picks for Toddlers and more about WHO is celebrating the holidays with my children.  I’m not planning to fill my kids’ stockings with leftover food or wrap their old toys and put them under the tree (though we could have a rip-roarin’ Christmas with just the toys they’ve forgotten). I’m not suggesting a shopping boycott. Only that, rather than chasing down the perfect toy alla Jingle All the Way, I will give my children the gift of time with their grandparents instead. In honor of my Grandma and Grandpa, I will do my best to prevent family disfunction, holiday stress, or other commitments from trumping the importance of being together. I will ignore the candy before dinner. I will trust that being spoiled by grandma and grandpa will not mean they are spoiled rotten. I will be a conduit for them to know each other. I will find ways to stay close even across long distances. I will look for traditions that my children can share with their future children and grandchildren. I will do all this and more because I believe that Christmas can come without ribbons and bows (or blue bicycles), but in our house, it won’t come without grandparents.