What to give?

I have been pondering the question of "what to give" to family and friends for Christmas. I have been really bothered by this. I decided today to walk around my house and think about some of the things I consider precious to me that have been given to me. The list kept getting bigger and bigger. I then realized that most of them were not even Christmas gifts. They had been gifts given by people who love me and wanted to surprise and please me. They were unexpected but very cherished. I want to tell you about a couple of them. When I was first married my husband and I went to visit his parents in Cedar City, Utah. It was at Christmas time and there was a project going on. My mother-in law's neighbor was making beautiful little birds out of ribbon that hung on the tree as a ornament. The neighbor was a tiny little feisty red head(white by then) who had very crippling arthritis in her hands. She told me she made the birds to keep the limited movement she had. One evening she came over with ribbon and patience. She spent several hours teaching me and Grandma how to make the birds. I never could get them as beautiful as hers. The gift under the tree for me that year was a whole box of those birds to put on my own tree each Christmas. I still use them. Several years ago my Grand was helping me with the tree and took interest in those birds. He likes to create things like that and was very intrigued.  I gave him one and told him to study it and see if he could figure it out. I forgot the challenge and I thought he had too. A couple of days ago he comes flying out of his house and presents me with one beautiful perfect Blue bird. The one's I had on my tree were green. I love that bird and had him place it on the place of most importance on my little tiny tree. It is the crowning jewel on the very top.. One other gift that was given to me was a little tiny piece of china from my Grandmother Warner's china cabinet. She had many beautiful little pieces of china that were displayed in glass cabinets built into the walls of her dinning room. I would spend hours looking at them through the glass. (We were not allowed to touch.)  When she passed my Grandpa took each piece out and gifted us each one item. He had written our names and attached it to the bottom with some tape. I have so many things that I look at each day but have not taken the time to remember who they are from and what they mean to me and the person that gave them to me. As we are in the season of Thanks and Giving I hope that each of you take a stroll through your home and take that sweet special walk down memory lane that I was able to enjoy today.