Christmas Connecting All Year!

We generally draw names for Christmas on Paul's side of the family....and this year we decided to choose our gifts a little differently.  Our goal was to give things that "we" love...things that mean something to us...helping the recipient know a little more about us. It would be a way for us to connect with someone in the family in a different sort of way.

Well...I hit jackpot when my sister-in-law Liz got my name.  She is know for her homemade cards...every year coming up with some way to personalize your birthday card in a new and different way.


Liz put together a whole year of envelopes...one to open each month with glimpses into her life, her interests. and her creativity.  A few days ago I opened March.  It was called "Liz by the Numbers" featuring her passion for numbers and milestones in her life.

For example she has visited all 50 states, almost all 64 counties of Colorado (will complete this year) and 25 foreign countries so far.  She walked 3,700 miles in 9 months across the country in The Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament in 1986 and went through 5 pairs of shoes.  It's all interesting....but you get the idea. For January I got a couple of her favorite recipes and for February wonderful stories about her passion for reading and literacy. Thanks Liz!  I will look forward to opening a new envelope every month!  I should know you even better by the end of the year!

I got my brother-in-law and his daughter as a package deal.  I gave Steve my favorite fajita recipe with all the spices ready to go, my favorite kitchen knife...which is actually a serrated fish knife from a marina store in Portland, and goo-gone and magic erasers...my favorite cleaning supplies.  For Kenna I put together a Zentangle kit complete with pens, a sketchbook, an idea book and of course my stories to go with it.

And for those of you who know Paul...this will make perfect sense.  For North, our high school age nephew, he got a gray hoodie that says "not all super heros wear capes" and a music compilation of the music he listened to when he was in high school and a favorite book he thinks North should read.

There are so many ways to connect....so many personal ways to give a gift.  Think outside of the box!