A Homemade Christmas

As I told you in an earlier post, my family decided to draw names and make homemade gifts this Christmas. It was our first time attempting something like this, and it went over so well that I think it will become a yearly tradition. I am happy to show you what each of us made...

This first gift is what my son, Morgan, made for me. It is a mosaic, and if you look closely, you can see the image of the dolphin in the blue tiles. Didn't he do a fabulous job?

This next one is what my oldest son, Mason, made for Morgan. He decorated Morgan's initials using this abstract way of coloring that he learned in his school art class, then he put it in a nice frame. Mason spent a long, long time on this, and Morgan was thrilled with the result!



This next one is what I made for Mason. I remember having a huge string art ship that my grandfather made hanging above our couch when I was a little girl. I thought it might be neat to introduce my kids to this old art by doing Mason's name the same way. As I had hoped, Mason loved it and can't wait to hang it above his bed.


I was tickled that Michael was as excited about this idea as I was, and he knew immediately what he wanted to make. When we were getting ready to draw names, he announced that he wanted to make Maddox's gift. We told him that he can't just CHOOSE who he wants, that he has to draw like everyone else! To this, he said, "Well, whoever I draw is going to get a wooden tractor!" ...so we let him have Maddox. :) Michael's becoming quite handy with wood and tools! (some of you may even remember the ink pad cabinet he made me?)


And finally, because I was going to have to assist Maddox in this project, we let him "choose" Daddy. Together, Maddox and I made this little keepsake box that Michael can keep in his briefcase so he can always have a piece of his little boy with him... it's an Altoid tin with Maddox's handprint wrapped around it. When you press on the "Love You Dad" circle, you will hear Maddox saying in his cute little voice, "Hi Daddy! I yuv you Daddy!".

On the inside is a picture of Maddox, along with the sound recording box that I got from Build-a-Bear workshop... little 2-year old voices are so precious, and I wanted Michael to be able to take Maddox's message with him on business trips. In the empty space above the recording box, I will be placing a piece of Maddox's favorite blanket - but I'll need to get some scrap fabric from my step-mother-in-law (who made the blanket) so I don't have to ruin the actual blanket.

So there you have it... our own little homemade Christmas! Thank you for allowing me to share it with you. It was a pure joy to watch each of our kids take this idea and make it special. I look forward to many more years of beautiful, *priceless*, homemade gifts.