My Best Holiday Gifts

In no particular order, I flippin' LOVED these AMAZING holiday gifts:

• My children played together with their toys for a while. How long? Maybe 20 minutes. But get this: They shared! They took turns! They used their imaginations! They seemed happy! They took their fun to another room and we let them! They were okay without us! Wow. Makes my heart soar even remembering it.
• My inlaws watched my kids for THREE DAYS. My husband and I drove them there (about two hours away) and then got ourselves a hotel room nearby - just the two of us. We took walks, listened to the rain, read, went to fun restaurants, watched movies, sat in front of HGTV for hours, wrote, and SLEPT. Don't hate me because I have beautiful inlaws! I grew up with crazy parents, if it makes you feel any better.
• We celebrated my husband's grandmother's 90th birthday, and during the lovely party, my FIL looked at me and said, "It's good to have family." Right then, as my kids happily mixed through the crowd of 14 relatives, everyone smiling and chatting warmly, I thought no truer words had ever been spoken. I don't remember ever feeling at ease at a family gathering before with both my kids present. I felt full of pride; that phrase "pride and joy" resonated like never before. My kids have come a looooooooooong way, to be (mostly) comfortably part of a celebration where someone ELSE gets the gifts, they can't eat all the same foods as everyone else, there are many things they shouldn't touch, everyone stays up past their bedtime, people want them to sit and smile for pictures, and adults want to just sit and talk and talk...
• My mother sent me a bracelet that used to be my grandmother's. Speaks for itself...
• My husband bought me a necklace with a letter on it, the first letter of both my kids' names. I had wished out loud for just such a gift, but didn't really expect to get it. My favorite thing is that it's made from an old typewriter key. I love stuff like that. I especially loved that my husband heard me, made that particular wish come true.
• My inlaws gave us a gift card of a future date, when they plan to come babysit while we go out to see a show. (Hey, I said don't hate me: remember, my own father was a wanted criminal chased by the feds for half my childhood!)
• During the best parts and the most stressful parts of the holidays, all the highs and lows, my husband took every opportunity he could find to tell me he loved me. Friends and relatives reached out with words, deeds, and all manner of generosity --- not just toward me, but toward our whole little family. We were given gifts of tangibles, of time, of support and patience, of WORDS, and even of educational support for our boy. It all equals love, really. I feel enormously grateful.