The best gifts I’ve ever received

The best Christmas gifts I’ve ever received didn’t come from a store.  They were hand-crafted by someone I love.  Today I thought I would share  five of my favourites.

1. An advent calender made by my Aunt Janneke.  I’m not even sure if my aunt knows how much my sister and I loved this gift. It was a giant calender made entirely out of felt that we hung on our basement door.  Each morning, my sister and I would get up and take turns choosing a felt piece to hang up.  She had made all kinds of holiday characters and symbols out of felt – a star, a Christmas tree, a present, and of course the nativity figures.  We always saved the baby Jesus for Christmas morning, and the two of us would pick it up together (literally, we each needed at least a couple fingers on that Jesus cut-out) and hung it on the calender before excitedly opening the door to see if Santa had come.

2. A commemorative collage. Although this was a birthday gift, it is worth mentioning here: For my 25th birthday, my sister asked friends and family to submit a short email about why I am special.  Friends wrote poems, memories and thoughts about their relationship to me.  My sister printed out the emails and pasted them on a giant piece of bristol board.  Needless to say, there were some tears flowing that day!

3. Coupons from my Dad.  When we were kids, every year there would be a business envelope nestled in the tree’s branches, and inside, we would find a letter written on my Dad’s company’s letterhead.  The letter was really a “coupon” for time alone with Dad.  He gave us several options for activities we could do – visit the Art Gallery, the Children’s Museum, go ice skating, go out for breakfast, and so on.  Like many dads, ours was very busy.  He ran his own business and our time with him was very special.  Also, because my sister and I are twins, we were used to sharing everything, including time with our parents.  One-on-one time was a deeply treasured gift.

4. A homemade recipe book. One year, my mom made a giant recipe book. It was a giant compilation of recipes from the extended family and all of her friends, as well as her own favourite stash.  She photocopied the recipies, organized them, and put them in a great big binder.  That binder is my go-to place for recipes of any kind!  It contains recipes that were shared by parents when I was in kindergarten and the vegan recipes my mom prepared when I swore off all animal products while in highschool. It’s equal parts practical and sentimental.

5. A Grandmother’s craft. My Nana also wrote out recipe books for the grandchildren one year.  But this one is much different; it’s in my Nana’s handwriting and it includes old-fashioned recipes.  I don’t usually pull it out when I’m making dinner but you bet it’s a treasure that I will cling to for my entire life.

What was your favourite homemade gift to receive?