Nana Time

Today I would like to share some grandmotherly tips from a woman in my writers' group. Guest blogger, Rosemary McLaughlin, is a retired English teacher and writer who addresses the issue of homemade gifts, just in time for holiday gift-giving! Thanks for sharing, Rosemary!

I have always been fascinated by the pioneer custom of making all your own gifts. Unfortunately, I have very little talent to create handspun fabrics, pickle my own piccalilli, or paint portraits. I do have an imagination, however, which is the same imagination God gave all mothers.

My mother was able to entertain my brothers and me with a ball made out of all the socks that weren’t worth a darn—literally. Imagine, a ball we were allowed to throw in the house! It was a great little handmade gift that was all about recycling before it became the “it” thing.

After I retired and began watching my granddaughter, I wanted to make a special gift for my daughter who was missing some precious moments with her two-year old. I made her a little photo gift book with pictures of all the things we did in a day. There were the usual pictures of our little Lizzie sleeping, eating and watching Sesame Street. I added pictures of story time at the library—complete with librarian. Also included were The Eagle’s Nest at our local grocery store and the childcare worker who watched Lizzie while I shopped. Some of the most precious pictures included Lizzie with me at morning Mass and Lizzie playing our favorite game “Name that Vegetable.” I still laugh when I think of Lizzie holding an acorn squash and a green pepper and looking very quizzical. I used my computer to make up captions and print up some clip art to go along with the pictures. I called the book “Nana Time.” My daughter could not have been more touched.

Another gift that she enjoyed, but not quite as much as “Nana Time,” was a freezer full of frozen dinners. Let’s face it, what working woman would not love homecooked meals waiting for her after work? See, we don’t have to knit or paint after all to please the ones we love with gifts from the heart.

Rosemary