Creating a Sentimental Christmas

Through the years I have received numerous sentimental Christmas gifts that I still have and treasure. Tiffany lamps passed down through generations, hand painted dishes from my great grandma, quilts hand stitched by great aunts and grandmothers, hand-sewn linens from my Mom, a handmade stocking from my aunt etc… Over the past few years my family has said goodbye to many beloved family members, thankfully we have the hope of being reunited with them in heaven one day! Last year one of the most precious Christmas gifts I received was a surprise keepsake that was hand-painted by a deeply loved family member who passed away in an abrupt, heart-breaking manner. It made me really begin to re-evaluate what I would focus on for Christmas, and what values I wanted to instill in my children.

The truth is, no matter how healthy, young or full of life we are, none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. Obviously, we would rather have our family members back who passed away, much more than we want sentimental things passed down from them. However, it is a comfort to have such personal items we can proudly put on display that remind us of the people we came from, who had a part in shaping who we are. I am so proud to come from a long line of people with good old fashioned mountain ingenuity, creativity, and simple sentimentality.

When I play an instrument, hold a paintbrush, sit down behind a ball of yarn, cook a delicious meal from nothing, or sing my babies to sleep. I feel a deep-rooted connection to my parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, cousins, and great grand parents who blazed the same path before me, or are walking down the same path with me. Last year I recognized how deeply I don’t want this tradition of ingenuity, common sense, and creativity to pass away with me. I want to impart the same values into my own children!

For full disclosure, we still will be consumers this Christmas, there still will be some Christmas gifts we buy off the shelf at Target, and if I am lucky there will be an awesome cartwheel coupon to make those items a great deal! However, our emphasis this year will not be on what we can buy, but what we can pass down. What we can give our children that will outlast us – both physically, and internally by teaching them to love and appreciate the same precious things our parents taught us to love and appreciate.

The following is a list of sentimental, handmade toys we are prioritizing this year:

For him: A fully functional toolbox of his own.

Almost every nine year old boy is fascinated by hammers, nails, screwdrivers, and bolts. At nearly nine years old, we can be reasonably secure in the fact that he can learn how to hold a hammer and a (non-electric) handsaw, and enjoy creating with some light help from an adult. He loves helping his Dad and Grandpa build. This simple Christmas gift is definitely a major highlight for any creative child! 

For her: A pallet board play kitchen.

With a husband who renovates homes for a living (with a focus on kitchens and bathrooms). It makes perfect sense that he would make his daughter her very first play kitchen. I’m not sure if this would work for all 1 year olds, but her favorite toys are my pots and pans, and bowls she can stack in my kitchen while I cook. So, I have no doubt she will enjoy having her own pots, pans, and play foods set up close by in a sturdy play kitchen she can stand up and “cook” at. I’m really excited to set this Christmas gift up for her!

For him: A homemade Guess Who? board game.

Thankfully his birthday is less than a month after Christmas, because this awesome idea will take some time to work on. It is just a concept right now, that I really look forward to expounding on. Have you ever played the game Guess Who? Traditionally, it has two identical boards with pictures of various cartoon people and you take turns asking questions until you are able to identify the exact “person” the other player has chosen. We plan to make him his own version of this board game with wood, small metal hinges, and pictures of family and friends that he loves dearly! A solid wood board game, featuring people he loves will be treasured and enjoyed for many years to come. Because it is durable and handmade it will last long enough to make for a great Christmas gift he can share with his own children one day!

For her: Hand painted alphabet blocks.

Did you know you can buy raw, unfinished 3.5cm blocks from Amazon for under $20? We have already purchased the paint, stencils for letters and numbers, brushes, and pretty paper so I can make her custom alphabet blocks with hand painted images, and pretty decoupaged sides! I am super excited about this gift, due to the fact that wooden blocks seem to last forever and if she is anything like me – she will really treasure the handprinted images on the side of each block as she gets older. I hope she feels loved deeply every time she looks at each brush stroke and sees the effort we put into making this Christmas gift for her!

For him: A handmade wooden toy box stuffed with board games and books.

My little bookworm really enjoys quality family time spent playing games like Uno and Catan. So it is my hope to make him a handmade wooden toy box and stuff it with some of his favorite games and a few new books so he can have numerous play options to choose from when he wants to play with us! Plus a handmade toy box with high quality materials should last him throughout the years. I am undecided if we will paint this one, or decoupage with old comic books, or both (feel free to drop your opinion below!).

For her: A hand painted rocking chair.

I loved playing with a little red rocking chair that had been passed down from my mother as a little girl. As I got bigger it became a fun chair to use with baby dolls at tea parties, and eventually it was well loved by my younger sister. I have no clue where that chair is now to be honest, but I know full-well that I will never forget it! So this year I am making my tiny girl, her own tiny rocking chair. Fortunately this is another item you can purchase unfinished at amazon or your local craft store!

I have far more ideas than I have time this year, and I have hopes for additional handmade toys for each of them, but these are the six handmade gifts I am really focusing my energy on this Christmas. We also are incorporating our children into helping us create similar sentimental gifts for extended family. I know this isn’t a completely non-consumer Christmas, but I do feel confident it is going to be one of the sweetest holiday seasons we have ever enjoyed as we are beginning to shift our priorities towards a more sentimental, family-focused, simple Christmas!

What is your favorite sentimental gift you have ever given or received?

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