start of a tradition

if you live in the c-u area, you need to know about the holiday shop. this being our first year here, we were so excited to learn about this little treasure. it is a place where kids can shop for their loved ones without any help from mom and dad - meaning everything they pick is a surprise. this is the 16th year that our local crisis nursery has hosted this event.

we were invited to join some friends at the holiday shop this past sunday. when we arrived i filled out a sheet with the names of who luca was to buy for and how much total money he was given to spend. the idea is that an adult helper then takes the child past a curtain to a large room filled with gifts. there is a wide variety of items and everything is between 2 and 8 dollars. luca was a little wary of joining jeanine (his assigned helper) all by himself, so they let me come back with him to get things started. he was definitely distracted by all the cool things he liked for himself, but after much prompting, he got the hang of things. it was so neat to see the things he chose for each person. i left near the end so he could find my gift, pay for his choices and help with the wrapping and gift tags. by that time he was having a blast and barely noticed me leave. when all is finished, they let the kids choose a small stuffed animal as a special parting gift.

i love the emphasis this event puts on the giving part of christmas. i love gifts! not just the receiving, but the giving. i want my kids to know they joy of choosing and giving a special gift for a special person. it is such a neat way to express your love towards another. we will definitely be adding this to our holiday schedule each year.

and i can't wait to open my surprise on christmas morning!