Real Christmas Presents

I have never tackled craft projects with an artistic 5-year-old for almost 6 hours non-stop.  Not until today, that is.

It was Fancy Day, and she showed up in warm knitted tights and a pretty Christmas dress.  Our goal was to make Christmas gifts for her parents and three siblings.  So we fashioned newspaper elf hats, decorated them with sprigs of silk flowers and Christmas bows, and got to work.

Because of Christmas *secrets*, my report here must be abbreviated. I can't explain the perfect "popper" gift and edibles she made for her two older brothers, or the animal-themed gift for her younger sister (pure delight).  I can't tell you about the cute father-themed gift for her dad or the pretty and personal ornamental one for her mother.  

However, according to rules of Christmas Etiquette, I can report about lunch.  Midway through our crafts we ate on Grandma Emily’s fancy antique plates: peanut butter and butter sandwich (her favorite) with apple slices and apple cider for her, and salad for me.  Being one to appreciate anything fine or elegant, she loved Grandma Emily's stemmed, etched glasses.

Through it all she was eager, respectful, and a careful artisan.  While wrapping gifts she’d carefully made with her own hands, and taping ribbon we curled ourselves (a new concept) in strategic spots, she whispered with breathless wonder, “This is just like really wrapping real Christmas presents!”  And I said, “Well, this IS really wrapping real Christmas presents!”   She beamed.