Our grandchildren have drawers full of clothes and shelves full of toys. We didn’t want to have our Christmas and birthday gifts get lost in this sea of belongings. Instead, we decided that when our grandchildren turn three we would give them experiences with us instead of a physical gift for both Christmas and birthdays.
The first year, for Christmas, we gave them winter swim lessons at a local pool. I took them every week and was even the one to get in the pool for the Mom and Tot class. Last year, for birthdays we took them to a play at a local theater—Pinkalicious The Musical for our 5-year-old granddaughter and Joseph the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat for the 9, 8, and 7-year-old boys. At the first of the year, we had a grandson and granddaughter turn three close at the same time. They came for a winter outing complete with a train ride, roasting hot dogs in our fireplace, bowling, a sleepover, and a yummy pancake breakfast. Oh, we had so much fun!
Birthday season has just started for the four slightly older grandchildren. Now they are old enough to open our card with anticipation to learn what we are going to do together. This year, we are focusing on doing something with each one that is a special interest to them. Papa took 9-year-old Jackson out to dinner and to a magic show last Friday night. Jackson, an aspiring magician, loved trying to figure out how each trick was executed. Kate is turning six and has just started the dance. Her outing will be to the ballet for a performance of Aladdin.
Our hope in doing this is to create a plethora of memories together that will keep us bound together in love.
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