A Homemade Christmas

This year I decided to do a homemade Christmas theme for our presents. Part of it was due to our tight budget, yes; but also part of it was to teach my two sons about giving from the heart. Teaching them to use their time to make something for the people they care about, and something they will probably enjoy much more than a token candle or random gift you choose just to merely give a gift.

It isn't that my boys do not know how to share. They do. They will offer up a fruit snack or cookie out of a pack to me, not understanding that I am really not fond of sweets. My younger son, my Linus, will bring his blanket to me and rub it on my cheek. This sharing of the magic of the blankie is really quite precious. My older son will let me share his cat patterned pillow if he feels like a cuddle.

Realizing that not all gifts can be homemade, and that some needs must be fulfilled, we also participated in Toys for Tots. My boys picked out the toy, and carried it into the place to drop it off. Now every time my son hears Toys for Tots on the radio or on TV, he perks up. I know at age four, he isn't seeing the big picture of it, but he knows he helped do a good thing, and I like that.

However, there are limits to what a little boy can endure!

As I made the turtle pretzels, he watched, his mouth watering. "Can I have one?" "These are for gifts. We are giving them to the grandmas." "But I want one!" Oh heck, who can resist caramel and chocolate and pretzels? He did help me unwrap the caramels. I caved. The first batch ended up being a test batch, and my husband and sons approved.

I recently dipped many waffle pretzels into white chocolate bark.

My sweets loving, big eyed older son appears. "What are you doing?"

"I am putting white chocolate on pretzels for Christmas presents for our family and friends."

"Wow. Can I have one?"

"No, they are still very hot. They have to cool off."

A few minutes later, he reappears. He brought back up: Daddy. Apparently Daddy didn't realize what I was up to in the kitchen. And just like that, a few pretzels disappear from the waxed paper. "No, no, they are still hot!" Too late. They were devoured, and apparently they weren't all that warm at this point.