The Gift Within A Gift

As anyone could tell from one look at the sidebars, I love to make clothes for 18" dolls. I have a Springfield doll of my own that I use for fitting my new disigns and to model my creations. A few years ago my youngest daughter saved her money and bought Molly (who has, also, modeled several of my creations). I have also bought a couple well-used American Girl dolls that I have cleaned up and for which I have made outfits and then resold.

Each time the new American Girl doll catalog comes in the mail, we females in the household pour over it and glean ideas from it; but other than the doll my youngest bought a few years back, that as far as it goes -- we never buy anything.

So you can imagine what a shock it was for me to open one Christmas gift from my children to me and find this . . .

My very own Samantha doll!

While looking at the AG catalog a few months back, the girls realized that Samantha was being retired. Knowing that I especially like her, they connived with their brother to buy it for me for Christmas. They even drew their dad into the plot . . . When they had gathered their money together, they went to Dad to have him order the doll.

My sweet husband and I decided to stop giving Christmas gifts to each other when our children came along. Money was in short supply when the kids were very young; we figured that what we really needed we had. We have never gone overboard buying gifts at Christmas for the children, trying to keep the emphasis on the fact that Christmas is a celebration of Christ Jesus' birth, NOT a celebration of consumerism. The kids have always given a small gift to one another and to us.

When I unwrapped their gift to me, I was flabbergasted -- part of me was delighted and the other part of me was screaming inside, "No ... they don't have this kind of money to spend! There are things that they have wanted to buy for themselves -- things they have been saving for!" Then I looked at their faces, and they were BEAMING with the Joy of Giving. That's when I received a far greater gift, the realization that out of hearts of love and sacrifice they had gathered together their meager earnings simply to bring joy to another. They are growing up, and Christ is completing that good work that He has begun in them. Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought.

They laughed at me as I sat with Samantha on my lap most of the morning. Each time I look at this doll now, I think of my children and the TRUE gift they gave me this Christmas.

Later, in the afternoon they gave me another gift. However, that story will have to wait 'til another day, because I have work that MUST get done.