Gift Giving

How often do you get a gift that makes you gasp and then makes you cry?  (In a good way?) 


On the Jones side of the family, we follow a rotation for a family gift exchange for Christmas. This year was our family's turn to  receive a gift from my youngest sister and her family.  It was one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever been given.


We need to rewind just a bit to capture the true awesome-ness.  Over a year ago, I posted a picture of this map quilt on my blog. You can read about it here, if you so desire.   
    

I was quite smitten.  I thought it was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen.  Imagine my surprise, over a year later,  when I opened up our gift and saw this:

My sister remembered from all those months ago my gushing over this quilt.  And then she made one for me.  Can you imagine how long it took to make?   


It just blows me away.  Absolutely the perfect gift.   You can tell how my kids feel about it:

(And they also sent a hefty pile of gift certificates to Baskin & Robbins.  Which is also super thoughtful, since we go there about once a week.  It is kind of the "Cheers" of the Skinner family.  They totally our name.)


Allow me to quote a line from one of my favorite books, "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos:

"I just never thought anyone else knew that.  If I can apologize in advance for sounding like some idiot high school girl, I'd just like to say that I feel so - gotten."

That describes perfectly how I felt when I opened the gift, so gotten.


I have a good friend Jeanette, who is an awesome gift giver.  She always seems to give the perfect gift.  I asked her about it once and she modestly shrugged it off and said, "Gift giving is easy.  You just have to pay attention when people are talking.  When So-in-So talks about her new obsession with Quick Trip hot chocolate, I think 'I should get her a gift card to Quick Trip.' "  And when Jeanette said it like that, it seemed both completely obvious and completely genius at the same time.  Just pay attention when people talk.


It is something I have tried to apply in my life.  Clearly, my little sister has already mastered this principle.


*Incidentally, you may be wondering, what gift did we give this year as part of the family rotation?  My oldest sister's family got a few seasons of "Pysch" on dvd and small mountain of treats.  Not quite a homemade quilt, but can you really put a price on Shawn and Gus and large quantities of sugar?


**Technically I got two gifts that made me feel gotten.  I am currently typing on the second gasp-inducing-gift.  Thanks Marky.