Senior Living Advice: Remembering the best Christmas gifts ever
By BETH DOW, Home Helpers of GA & AL
What is the best Christmas gift you have ever received?
I remember two gifts from my childhood that stand out.
The first was my Chatty Cathy doll. She could talk! (Fun Fact: The first talking doll was given to us by Thomas Edison way back in 1889.) Chatty Cathy was bigger than my other dolls. To a five-year-old girl, she made it so easy to pretend she was real. Even the doll that wet her own diaper could not hold a candle to my Chatty Cathy. She was the best gift ever!
Until my second “best” gift. I think I was maybe 14 years old – way past the age of believing in Santa Claus. But that year, Santa made a surprise visit and delivered my very own record player with speakers that could disconnect. . As a teenager, I listened to my records over and over and sang every word to every song. My record player represented to me that I was growing up. I could play the music I wanted, when I wanted. Just like a grownup.
As an adult, my most precious gifts very often came from my granddaddy. These were not expensive gifts. They were not practical, nor were they anything that I wanted. But each gift had a story behind why he bought it for me. The connection between me and the gift would never be clear until he got to the end of his story, and then it was crystal clear. No matter what the gift, I always knew that it was selected specifically for me. When my granddaddy saw the often-odd item, something about it reminded him of me.
The best gifts in life are not those that cost the most. They are not the ones that are the “next best thing.” They are not the ones that are repeated on the television commercials or come up on your Facebook page right after you talked about it to someone. That is still so very creepy when that happens. The best gifts are those that say the giver thought about you when choosing the gift. That is all we really want. To know that our loved one thought about us and wanted to give something that is meaningful.
So, this holiday season I want to challenge you to give the unexpected. Instead of giving movie gift certificates, give a movie date with you. Instead of restaurant gift certificates, take them out to dinner. Instead of pajamas, have a pajama party. Give a gift that has a backstory, like my granddaddy did.
And most important, give a gift that includes you. Your parents, your friends, your aging family members, your adult children and your grandchildren, really only want you for Christmas. You are the best gift you can give them: your time, your words, your attention. So many gifts are not remembered, but time with loved ones, those memories are cherished.
Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope you and your family have a wonderful holiday season.
Beth Dow is a Dementia and Alzheimer’s Educator, CAEd and Geriatric Care Manager. She is also the owner of Home Helpers of GA & AL in Newnan. Readers can contact her by email at [email protected].
