‘Ink Re-Cap 190: Random Sketches and Scribbles
‘Ink Re-Cap 190: Random Sketches and Scribbles
on a cold Saturday just 9 days before Christmas and
3 days until precious family time begins
with all our children together for the Holiday.
Christmas when I was six.
Have I told you about the Christmas when I was six years old?
It turned out to be pivotal in my life.
We are a large family, 10 kids. So our Christmas gifts were sometimes individual, and sometimes shared with siblings. Like a pair of skates three of us took turns wearing. Or a doll carriage to share. We didn’t mind; it seemed a natural part of life. We didn’t know peer pressure, because none of our friends or cousins got more gifts than we did.
So you can imagine how excited I was to receive not just one gift, but two, that Christmas when I was six.
I can’t remember if the gifts were wrapped, or if I got them in the shopping bags they came in from the store. I sort of think that’s what happened, because Mom didn’t made a huge presentation of anything, even Christmas gifts.
And they gave me not only one thing, but two! I wish I could ask how such an extraordinary thing happened that year.
I was totally enthralled with my gifts.
One of the gifts was a 12″ doll,
and the other was a set of plastic dishes, so elegant that the cups were actually clear amber plastic goblets with a 1″ stem.
We didn’t have any real goblets in our lives then, but somehow I knew at six years old that this was something special.
I was overjoyed, and spent hours playing house.
Until, suddenly, I wasn’t happy about the gifts after all. The niggle started in my head with a little thought that 6 was too old to be playing with “baby” toys. I listened to that outrageous niggle, which soon robbed me of all the joy in this precious gift.
Did mom know? Did I say anything, or did I just stop playing with them? Today, I feel so bad about the idea that Mom might have known how unthankful I became about a gift she probably felt thrilled to be able to give me. I’ll never know what she knew or felt. She would never have said anything.
And somehow, I believe that her life, full of so many difficulties and disappointments while growing up, taught her not to sweat the small stuff.
But I do wish I had stayed thankful and excited for a gift I see now as totally appropriate and lovely.
Ever since, I have truly tried to be thankful for any gift I’ve received.
‘Ink Re-Cap 190:
This week’s posts:
Christmas Fawn Nursery Printables in Dainty Watercolor
Chocolate Roll With Cream Cheese Filling
Christmas Escape Game Challenge For Children
Some Christmas Freebies
from the past:
Christmas Desk Candy DIY From Upcycled Old Books
Minimalist Christmas Star Gift Tags
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Inklings of Real Life
Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
So Friday, December 16, was ugly sweater day for this year.
Apparently the ugly sweater party tradition started in the early 2000s, in Vancouver, Canada. As a Canadian myself, I do seem to remember some really ugly sweaters worn in cold weather. All sorts of hand-knit monstrosities with myriad colors and motifs that weren’t quite elegant. As if the knitter just stuck her hand into a trunk full of leftover yarn and kept knitting until enough knots connected into a sweater shape.
And with true northern humor, those sweaters could have become the stuff of legend. And any reason is a good reason for celebration when cold holds you hostage.
Which of course would evolve into a contest to seek out the ugliest sweater ever. Nowadays you can even buy ugly sweaters for kids and pets.
Chuckle (Groan)
Favorite ugly sweater sayings:
Fleece Navidad.
Joy to the Wool.
The uglier the sweater, the better the party.
I can’t tell if that ugly sweater is hurting my ears or my eyes.
I chose this sweater over a fruitcake… go figure.
Books of the week:
The title links to Amazon. Of whom we are affiliates, so if you click over to Amazon, then buy something, we get a tiny stipend from their enormous stash. Won’t change your price, so no worries there.
It’s not hard to come up with books to read at Christmas time, is it? Always the old favorites, like…
The Christmas Sweater
by Glenn Beck
I should say I haven’t finished this book, so forgive me if it’s not as good as I think it will be.
Amazon says:
If you could change your life by reversing your biggest regrets, sorrows, and mistakes…would you?
When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. He knew money had been tight since his father died, but Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to afford that dream bike.
What he got from her instead was a sweater. “A… handmade, ugly sweater” that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.
Scarred deeply by the fateful events that transpired that day, Eddie begins a dark and painful journey toward manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family—and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell—to help Eddie find his life’s path and finally understand the significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted with love.
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey
by Susan Wojciechowski
Several schools used this story for their Christmas Programs this year. It’s a worthwhile read aloud story.
Amazon description:
Jonathan Toomey is the best woodcarver in the valley, but he is always alone and never smiles. No one knows about the mementos of his lost wife and child that he keeps in an unopened drawer. But one early winter’s day, a widow and her young son approach him with a gentle request that leads to a joyful miracle. The moving, lyrical tale, gloriously illustrated by P.J. Lynch, has been widely hailed as a true Christmas classic.
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DO ANY OF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS FOR BOOKS WE CAN SHARE, THAT HAVE INSPIRED YOU OR YOUR LITTLES? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
‘Ink Recap 190 Fridge Quote
Now for the week’s fridge quote, an inspirational Christmas quote.
How To Get It:
Use this form and request Fridge Quote 190. We’ll email it straight to your inbox.
