Gifts

Gifts are my love language.  I feel like that's a little bit despicable as love languages go...but There it Is.  I love gifts.  I love to give gifts.  I love to get gifts.

Here are some favorites (besides the weather book) of this Christmas...and something to remember besides the sickness...

poor sick baby

1. Emma made Adam a die out of clay and a card with the following instructions:

Every day, roll the die to get a number.  Follow the instructions on the square with the same number.  You can only use this once a day, or we would all be your slaves 24/7!  Also, please don't wake anyone up at 2 a.m. to give you a massage.  You should also have a witness.  You may say you have a 5, but you could really have a 6.  Don't you love how little rules there are?

Love,

Emma

1: receive one free back massage from family member of choice

2: have two family member of choice do a job for you

3: sing three songs of choice with all of family

4: receive four five-minute massages throughout the day by family member of choice

5: have all five Davis family play board game of choice

6: receive six hugs from family member of choice

Adam was reading this list aloud and Braeden, from his near deathbed on the couch croaked, "Wait a minute...I didn't agree to this.  I didn't agree to any of this."

I particularly liked number 5 because Emma is constantly on the prowl for someone to play a board game with her and usually no one is willing.

She's tricky and sly.  (And sweet.)


2. My parents always send us a generous check for Christmas (thank you!) but I always enjoy even more the small package that comes in the mail a few days before Christmas.  Here's what was in the package this year:

Inside were copies of all the letters we'd written to Santa on Christmas Eve (since 1974!).  Every year, to our delight and entertainment, our dad would write the letter to Santa (and he hardly ever wrote what we wanted him to write).

Every year Santa answered our letter.

Santa's writing is really close to our mother's handwriting (and usually included motherly advice like admonishments to share and be good).


The binder of Santa letters is a treasure to me.

3. I was lucky to have Olivia draw our family's name this year.  (And lucky enough to have Jennifer live near Olivia so she could help her with our gift.)  Olivia made us this book:

You might recognize some of the pictures (she took them from my blog):

That Olivia...isn't she something?

3. Talking to my family on Christmas Day is one of my best presents every year.

It was a lovely Christmas with lovely gifts. I don't want to brag (oh, I know, I don't mind bragging) but Emma and I are whizzes on the handbells Adam gave me.  We rock Mary Had a Little Lamb like you've never heard it before. 

And I haven't even mentioned Janet's chocolate covered cherries which deserve their own category...