I make a lot of homemade gifts for my friends and family, and I encourage my children to do the same. There is always value in the process of creating and giving something on which you have spent a lot of thought and time, but sometimes the rewards are even greater.
I made everyone in my sister’s family personalized sock monkeys for Christmas this year. (See the Sock Monkey Family blog) I knew they would all like the monkeys, but I wasn’t sure my 11-year-old nephew would be overly thrilled in the long run with a homemade stuffed monkey. I figured it would end up in the corner of his room with the laundry or shoved in a drawer underneath his Star Wars boxers.
But then my niece sent me this picture.
Apparently, my nephew sleeps with the monkey every night and it goes wherever he goes. Sigh. My crafty aunt heart is full.
My fifteen-year-old daughter also had a good experience giving homemade gifts over the holiday season. She was going to visit her dad, his wife and baby during Christmas break and didn’t know what to bring for gifts She doesn’t see them that often and wasn’t sure what they would like or need.
I helped her think up things she could make for them. It was a big undertaking because she had a heavy load at school, and needed a little assistance from me, but she ended up with some nice, meaningful gifts, that were all a hit.
She made a cuddle blanket for her half-sister, a pillow with a beaded ocean scene for her step mom and drew a picture for her dad. Of course everyone loved what they got, but they loved the fact that she made the gifts even better.
If you’re kids are inclined at all to make homemade gifts, I would encourage them to do so. The rewards for the giver are sometimes even greater than those for the receiver.