Each year on Thanksgiving we put all our names in a bowl. We take turns drawing one out, making sure we don't get our own name. If one person draws out their name, we make everyone put the name back in. We want it to be a complete surprise. This means the drawing of names can go on for many rounds. When you have 11 people, choosing a name, someone is bound to draw out their own. Eventually it's perfect, and we all have the special someone's name tucked away in our pocket. It's a secret who we have. We are going to be Santa to them on Christmas morning.
The rule for our Secret Santa gift: it MUST be homemade. You cannot stop at the store last minute and pick something up. You are free to buy supplies from the store, but you must put your own special touch on it. It must come from the heart, and your own creative hands.
Secret Santa gifts have become so popular with our family, this year we had to draw a number to see who could give their gift first. We all want to give! Everyone is excited to participate, and it is talked about for the weeks before Christmas. My kids especially can't contain their joy. The pride they experience in making a personal gift is touching.
A lot of us will start planning months in advance. We keep a mental checklist of things we could make for each person in the family. It's so much fun! It makes Christmas more about the giving for the kids than the receiving. They can't wait to see their person open the gift they so lovingly prepared.
This year everyone went above and beyond with creativity! Each gift was lovingly designed; each gift was an expression of the giver. This makes Christmas the most special time of the year. It keeps the joy alive in our hearts.
Our pastor focused on the word JOY for the entire month of December. I found it to be most interesting. Do you know the difference between happiness and joy? Happiness is about what is happening to me. Most of the time I have no control over it. Joy is about what is going on inside of me; it's something that I help make happen. It puts the control back into my own hands.
Where does your joy come from? If you want to be happy, sit back and wait, hoping it will happen to you. If you want joy, you've got to do something about it. Having joy in your life is not a passive act. It requires work. You must cultivate joy. You must develop it, and pursue it. If you want the joy and peace that God brings, you must be willing to let Christ in. Everyone wants a Savior, but who will let God be in charge?
If you aren't doing something with the Jesus you've got- He's not going to give you more. If God's spirit is in you, who is it flowing out of you to? God would be a fool to waste a willing resource. God is no fool. If you are willing- God will use you!
What have you done lately to cultivate joy in your life? Our family made gifts that flowed from the heart. We were willing to give of ourselves, so that God could work through us. These gifts were more than just a package wrapped in paper. They were so full of love, the tears kept flowing. I don't think anyone in our family had dry eyes by the time our gift exchange was finished. Joy was spilling out of each of us. There is nothing quite like the feeling of giving from the heart.
I want to share with you our homemade gifts. Maybe they will inspire you. Find a way to pursue joy. Don't passively wait for happiness to come to you. Make joy happen today!
Our first given gift was from Jeremy to Titus. Titus loves to play the guitar and is very talented at it. Jeremy created this clever masculine wall hanging.
Our second gift given was to me from Ariel. I know she worked really hard on this tree. I love trees! In fact, when we first bought our house, I commissioned Ariel to draw a tree on the wall going up my staircase. I hung our family photos on the branches of the trees. This gift was perfect. She made it with my favorite colors. The cup is dipped in a water and nail polish blend. The wires are twisted around a rock that sits inside the mug. The branches are covered with colorful beads, and held in place by a dot of hot glue on the tips. Ariel did a fantastic job on this work of art!
The next gift came from Mikaela to Jeremy. She made him some chocolate covered Oreos, and candy covered caramel apples. Just looking at them makes your mouth water. Delicious!
For the next gift, which came from Titus, my mother was given a very special "Select Acoustic Works" CD. I know for a fact that he spent hours perfecting this gift. I was also very blessed to receive a copy of the CD under my Christmas tree. I've been requesting a CD of his music for years now. He is so gifted by God! My mother was especially touched. It's a peaceful recording, that was quite fun to listen to on a leisurely drive through the snow.
Gabriel received the next gift from my dad. For the past, several weeks Gabriel has had the opportunity to work closely with his grandpa. They have been cleaning and painting a rental property that was recently vacated. Gabriel has thoroughly enjoyed learning beside my dad, and has gotten a lot of good advice and skills that he will keep with him for life. As they have worked together, they have documented the entire thing through pictures. My dad gave Gabriel a photo album of all their work photos, including the photo they took together in their work clothes. The sweet part about the gift was that Gabriel had a very similar idea for his gift that he made for Grandpa. Gabriel spent hours putting together, what he calls a horror movie of the property. Their love for each other is very tender!
The next gift presented was from my mom for Ariel. Ariel is a teenage girl who loves to look pretty. She wears makeup every day and spends a large portion of her earned money on more makeup. My mother designed this makeup board for Ariel. She went to the hardware store and had them cut a sheet of metal to fit inside the picture frame. She covered it with fabric, and painted some canisters to hold Ariel's makeup brushes. To complete the project, she gave several sticky magnets that Ariel can attach her makeup to. The colors match Ariel's bathroom perfectly!
Zech is our youngest member and was probably most excited to find out who drew his name. He finally got to find out that his gift was coming from me! I worked for a couple of weeks to make him this spider web shaped afghan. Zechariah requested a new Spider-Man blanket for Christmas. I figured the Secret Santa gift would be a perfect way to fulfill that wish. I made a round ripple blanket, with alternating blue and red colors. After I finished crocheting the blanket, I added the black lines to complete the look of the web. It's very warm and cozy to climb under. This is the first time I have ever finished a blanket! Normally I give up after a few lines, but I found going in a circle makes the blanket easier to complete. I am not at all experienced in crochet. I would call this a good project for a beginner!
Our next gift was presented to Mikaela from Zechariah. He was SO EXCITED to give this gift. Mikaela is a huge Star Wars fan. Zech worked really hard watching a kid friendly tutorial on how to draw Rey, Mikaela's favorite character from Star Wars. He did an amazing job with his drawing. I have a silhouette machine that I used to cut a stencil for him to trace the Bible verse onto the drawing. The board he painted black and added white dots of paint with a paintbrush, and the smaller dots with a toothpick. It creates the effect of outer space quite nicely. We found the letters at Hobby Lobby that he painted her favorite color. When Mikaela opened her gift, she started sobbing she thought it was so special. I know she will cherish her drawing for a long time.
My sister opened the next gift from my brother Shaun. This gift is not quite finished; it's still a work in progress. When it's done, it will be a clock. He ran out of letters and the hands didn't stick out quite far enough. I think it's going to be really extraordinary when it hangs on her wall. Christmas day, Stefanie and Jeremy celebrated 6 months of marriage. They are newlyweds.
The last gift was given to my father from my sister Stefanie. She painted the letter G for my parents last name, and wrote their anniversary on it. They don't have any special decorations from their wedding, so this will be a very nice addition to their wall.
We had a wonderful time giving our Secret Santa gifts. They are always the highlight of Christmas day. Each year we say we don't need any more gifts than these gifts we have shared from the heart. They fill our hearts and homes with joy.