The Perfect Gift

Before I start this month’s column, I would like to update my readers on recent happenings at our house.

First, to all of the Project Costume readers, I want you to know that my husband Ben and I handmade two Halloween costumes this year with virtually no tears and only one argument. I used the Singer to sew a very simple Harry Potter cape for Elizabeth, which was made of only 2 pieces of felt. My mother, who is a certified home economics teacher, said that although I had chosen an easy pattern, my sewing was very well done and she thanked me for not calling her multiple times with questions. Our son Henry wanted to be Wall-E this year and my husband gets all the credit for transforming a cardboard box into Wall-E with amazing accuracy. (Please don’t tell Disney.) Both kids were thrilled with their costumes.

Second, to everyone who read Re-Elect Mom, I am happy to report that Elizabeth and Henry reelected Ben and me to the jobs of mom and dad. I was worried that they, like many other Americans, would vote for change this year, but they kept with the old guard and we couldn’t be happier. Look for our State of the Union address early next year.

Now that it’s December, I really want to give my readers the perfect holiday gift: a story that’s uplifting and funny and familiar and touching. But as anyone who has ever done any holiday shopping knows, the perfect gift is hard to find.

For example, think about shopping for your spouse. He really needs some new shirts and ties for work but he’s also been complaining that his MP3 player is slow and out of date. Both gifts will cost you a bit of money and you’re hesitant to do both. Which do you choose? Or maybe your wife loves to cook. Would a new state-of-the-art food processor be exciting to her or just a reminder that it’s her daily chore to make dinner? Or should you spoil her with a piece of jewelry she’s been admiring?

Retailers are quick to remind you that you don’t have to choose. Get them both! With holiday sales starting just after Halloween, you should be able to find any number of gifts at low prices. But you want just one. Just one perfect gift that will make him or her remember the holidays all year long.

And that’s what I wanted to give for you this month: the perfect holiday article. But the retailers who sell inspiration to writers also started their sales soon after Halloween and I bought too many ideas. I have seven typed pages of half-finished columns. I started a parody of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” that I thought you would like. St. Nicholas turns out to be my mom coming to help me through my holiday stress! I have a list of the top 5 free or inexpensive gifts your kids didn’t even know they wanted: a cardboard box, a pile of snow, a make-believe game of Air Guitar Hero, etc. And I even wrote a letter to Santa asking for some children’s toys that I still secretly want: dress up clothes, a bicycle, and an Easy Bake Oven. But none of those ideas seemed perfect enough for you.

So the best I can do are a few almost-perfect sentences that I hope you will accept as my gift.

This December, take a moment to absorb the small details that make it such a special time of year. When you or your spouse carries the Christmas tree inside for the first time, stop and smell the cold air coming off the pine needles. When your kids have finished ripping open their gifts and sit in the living room in a daze, look into their eyes and remember what it felt like for you many years ago. If you make your favorite cookies, forget about how many calories are in them and take one and eat it slowly, savoring every morsel of butter or sugar or chocolate inside. If you hear a favorite holiday song on the radio or at church or at your kids’ school, sing along. And when the holidays are over, save some of that cheer to last the whole year.

And what perfect gift am I asking you to get me this year? Just keep reading my stories.