Posts tagged gift

This is Deidre, sharing my best memory with you this fine Christmas morning.

Years upon years ago, it was my turn for the almost inevitable bout of pink eye that every kid gets at some point. I woke up, probably minutes after my parents went to bed, ready to greet the Christmas bounty… with my eyes stuck shut. I was probably seven at the time, and this temporary blindness was as far from character building as it could possibly be. As I mewled and scratched, my older brother (also up, of course) retrieved my stocking from the mantle and helped me as I examined my loot by touch. I know I never would have reached in to the fun fur and felt - he was a stinker and I had long ago developed a fear of putting my hands anywhere I couldn’t see them. He must have handed me presents, one by one, helping me guess what each object was.

It was a year of Kliban cats - one of my stocking stuffers was a cartoon-a-page book of black and white cartoons with sometimes titillating drawings of ‘boobies and butts’. My brother lay next to me on the orange and black shag carpeting and read the captions aloud, describing the drawings, and holding the book for me as I tried to peer through gummy lashes.

The book is long gone. The image of a naked woman sitting on a chair with a leg outstretched and a long cat covering her leg from hip to heel is so ingrained that I could probably draw it line for line. And my brother, the same kid who shut me in closets and played “stop hitting yourself”, is now a stepfather and step-grandfather with a family that benefits from his depths of kindness, thoughtfulness, and reliability every day.

And only the occasional mild prank.

Happy holidays to you and all of yours.

It always seems to sneak right up on you… one minute you’re putting the AC back in storage, the next minute looking for the perfect pumpkin, and then WHAM! Black Friday is here, and you almost forget the mad rush that is in every retail store for the month of December.

Some people plan ahead… and have already assembled holiday gift lists that just may help you fulfill all your gifting needs before you even start pouring over the Sears wish book.

If you’re a crafter, you’re going to be in overdrive. I started making my own soap a few years ago, and each year try a new, wild recipe on my friends and family. So far, the best one was a muddy concoction of ground coffee, cinnamon, shea butter and almond oil - not so easy on the eyes, but a delight to hard working hands. It’s very easy to do, but I’ve got to get cracking if I want to give anyone a nice, balsam fir scented holiday bar this year - it can take up to 6 weeks for a bar of soap to go from herbs, oil, water and lye to all purpose cleaning agent. Tack on another day if you want it wrapped with a fancy bow.

Watch for our donation of 20 Remembered Voices cards during the New Hampshire Public Television auction, May 7-16. You can find out more about all the generous donations at www.nhptv.org/auction. It’s time enough to start thinking about Father’s Day, and your tax-deductable pledge helps NHPTV continue with its goal to enrich, engage, enlighten, and entertain.

Set aside some time to think about how your father helped you throughout your life. In what ways are you similar or at odds? If you have children, do you see your father - or grandfather - in them? What was his best advice? What did he learn in life, and how did he try to prepare you for the challenges you are bound to face? Collect your thoughts, even write them down, and read them on to your Remembered Voices card. Present your father with a gift of the Listener codes, so he can hear your appreciation - in your own voice - any time he needs to know you love him.

During the Small Business Showcase last month, we donated one Remembered Voices gift card as a door prize, and a second for a business card draw. The lucky winner is Catherine C at Tranquility Salon & Skin Care, over on Water Street in Exeter NH. They also feel strongly about charity - if you’re looking for gift to help someone feel pretty, purchasing a candle or a beauty product, and Tranquility will donate a percentage to The Alzheimer’s Association and The American Cancer Society. The stylists also participate in Cutting for a Cause.

Visit www.RememberedVoices.com and add a card to your RV account for $15 off! This special runs for the month of May; just enter promo code 365BRAMBLE when you purchase a card or send a card.