{12 Posts of Christmas}: 10 Favourite Gifts

10 Favourite Gifts

Everyone has those favourite Christmas gifts that you always remember and cherish. You hold onto them or to the memory of them long after they have been enjoyed. You put away in that special place in the closet for years because they truly meant something… Whether homemade or bought from the store, imported from China or found at a thrift store, there are few things that matter when it comes to gifts. It’s about the heart. The giver. It is a token, whether large or small, that you are loved.

10.) A grapefruit. This gift by far may be the gift that made me laugh the hardest. My friend Josh and I have an inside joke that has to do with this particular fruit… and I will admit, a grapefruit is the last thing I expected to find wrapped up for Christmas. It was completely unexpected, simple enough, and yet held a lot of sentimental meaning. Plus it tasted fabulous when I ate it a couple of days later.

9.) Travel Scrabble. Don’t laugh. Anyone who knows me well knows I love words and making up words and anything that has to do with words. For that reason, I love Scrabble. Two years ago, my parents bought me a portable travel Scrabble game. Not one of the electric ones. One of the real miniature scrabble games with the mini-tiles and the pop-in game board. Oh, it’s lovely. I’ve gotten so much use out of it. And it’s perfect because you can leave the pieces in the board and come back to it hours, days, months later. Okay. Nerd rant over.

8.) Irish tea. Last year, after I had gotten back from Ireland, my parents bought me a bulk box of genuine Irish tea, Barry’s. They also loaded my stocking with packets upon packets and tins upon tins of tea, with a lovely infuser and a variety of gadgets for the tea-lover.

7.) My American Girl Samantha Doll. It was every little girl’s ideal gift. I remember the joy I experienced as I opened up the box, and there she was, with her pretty red bow and her flowing brown hair. I had years of enjoyment playing with her, dressing her up, accessorizing and all of those lovely things that little girls love to do. And now she sits in my bedroom closet, awaiting the day when I have a little girl who can play with her as I once did.

6.) Fisher Price Dollhouse, Stable and Garage. When I was about 7, I believe, my dad brainstormed, designed and made a wooden dollhouse for my fisher price dolls, as well as a stable and a garage. They came as do-it-yourself kits. He cut apart all of the pieces and put the instructions together, and then we spent hours together in the garage, gluing the pieces together. I realize now just how much time and effort he put into them, and I’m so grateful. They were such a blast to play with growing up.

5.) Philip Zebulon Shovel the Fourth, the stuffed gopher. My best friend gave me this gift 2 years ago, after I had completed National Novel Writing Month the previous November. From that month of writing frenzy, writing a 50k novel, one of my favourite characters unfolded he interacted with the two main protagonists, portly gopher that could talk who had a fiery temper, but also had a noble and humorous heart. I thought it was brilliant, as did my friend, and so he hunted and hunted for a stuffed gopher to play the role in real life. He succeeded, and cute little Zeb has been with me ever since.

4.) The wii. 4 years ago, our family bought a Wii as a Christmas gift. Pretty much one of the most awesome gifts ever. Those first couple months of playing games together, becoming pros at wiibowl, working out to wiifit and the biggest loser, playing through games like Twilight Princess and Aragorn’s Quest. It’s always been a big party clincher, with games like wii sports and Dance Dance Revolution.

3.) A piano/keyboard. My parents have bought me a keyboard on two instances: The first was when I was 7, the second when I was sixteen. When I saw 6, my brother was learning to play the guitar and so my parents encouraged me to learn another instrument, thus their gift of a piano. It was one of those with the keys that lit up as you played and had all sorts of options to play along with pre-set songs and sounds. I honestly believe that if my parents had not bought me this keyboard, I probably wouldn’t have pursued piano lessons. And here I am, with 10 years of lessons under my belt and a love for those ebonies and ivories in my heart.

The second keyboard was a gift after I became a part of the youth worship team at my church, in 2009. My parents bought me an 88-key Yamaha keyboard, with a portable stand and a carrying case. It has certainly paid for itself time and time again, as I lugged it to and from church almost every week to play and practice and worship for several years. I plan on bringing it off to college with me, assuming it will fit in my dorm room, and think it will still be in excellent shape when I’m off to the mission field as well.

2.) My ESV Study Bible. After I came back from Ireland in 2010, I knew that I wanted a study Bible. After a summer of evangelism and spiritual growth, I wanted to continually grow and strive after Him and desired to dig deeper into His Word. So my parents gave me a lovely leather-bound study Bible, the English Standard Version, and it has been one of the best gifts I’ve ever received.

1.) Love. Friendship. Family. I know this isn’t typical per se, but I am so grateful for these gifts God has given me. With each and every Christmas, I am reminded of the things that really matter. Our friends and loved ones that we cherish. Memories of times gone by. Yes, presents are enjoyable and often make us smile, but they last only a while and someday will simply rot and decay. But love, hope, faith, salvation. These are the even greater gifts that will always be with us.

Advertisement