Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Christmas Gifts

This is something we'd never done before: buying Christmas gifts for all the sunday school children. It's really interesting when we asked the kids what they really want for Christmas. It all started with a mechanic pencil. A 6th grader told Will that he wants a cool Japanese mechanic pencil that when you shake it, the lead would come out. He even wrote a note to Will to give him instructions on how to find the pencil online. Then, some other kids started giving us their wish list thinking we are their Mr. and Mrs. Santa.

This is the hot item the 6th grader wants, "Uni-ball gel shaka shaka mechanical pencil."
A 5th grade girl introduced me to "Webkinz" something I'd never heard of. Webkinz are plush animals that each come with a secret code. You can log in with the code on their website where you can care for your virtual pet and play different games. I picked up this little cute-innocent-look puppy just for the girl but unfortunately the girl thinks the dog is way too scary with its two big eyes popping out. I was very disappointed and now this doggie is still sitting in our living room waiting to be exchanged in the store.
What does a first grader girl like for Christmas? "Pony in My Pocket & Puppy in My Pocket." I went to the store and found the "in-my-pocket" series of toys. They even come with "Jungle in My Pocket" and "Kitty in My Pocket." Those are cute little toys for little girls.
We spent so many days shopping here and there, trying to get all the presents ready before the Christmas program on Saturday night. With an extremely thoughtful Mr. Santa, he wants to grant everyone's wish but Mrs. Santa was there to remind him to stay within the budget. We finally got everything we need after four days of shopping. Then we threw a wrapping party on Friday night, well, just two of us, wrapping all the gifts.

Here are some group shots of "before" and "after".
Before the gift wrap.
After the gift wrap. Ready to give out to the kids.
Here are the goodie bags filled with yummy treats.
We gave out the presents after the Christmas program last Saturday night and kids were super happy when they received the gifts. Who wouldn't be happy, right? Hope these gifts not only bring smiles one their faces and joy to their hearts but also make them want to come back to church every Sunday, and most importantly, to remember the meaning of Christmas.

LOVE comes to us in many ways, but none more beautiful than the gift of JESUS.

May you have the endless blessings of His love
throughout the season and in the New Year

Have a Blessed & Joy-filled Christmas!