I don't have any pictures of this because... well... because really it's a miracle that we even did neighbor gifts this year. It was the one thing that just kept getting bumped and was threatening to not get done at all. My mom told me that I just needed to let it go this year because sometimes you just can do what you can do and it's not worth stressing over. Which is true. David said pretty much the same thing. But I wannnnnnttteeeed to do it. I just really, really, really, really, really wanted to do it. It's important to me to be able to take the opportunity to reach out to those in our neighborhood and let them know that they are thought about and appreciated, no matter how small the gesture.
It brings me an incredible amount of joy to come home during the Christmas season to see a small offering of gifts left on our porch. I know it's silly, but I really feel so loved and feel the bonds of friendship strengthened through those acts. (So, maybe one of my love languages is gifts, okay?) For example, one older sister in our ward and her daughters thought to bring us a small treat with a note. Sister Ferrin is the ward librarian and I get to visit with her for a few minutes each Sunday as I am in and out making copies for Primary and such. She's always so kind, and through our conversations we discovered that she was a FACS teacher for many years until she retired. It's so neat to have that connection with her and I love to visit with her. However, I was so surprised to see a treat from them on our door because they live (all the way) on the other side of the neighborhood. But that small gesture brought such joy to me heart and I love her even more now for thinking of me/us than I did before. I have a handful of other examples similar to this, just from this year. I know that a lot of times "neighbor gifts" get lumped into the "I'm expected to do this but I hate it and it's just more busy work that takes away from my family and the meaning of the season." But I don't feel that way. I feel like it's the perfect opportunity to share love and friendship and I'm so grateful for it.
That being said... I still don't have any pictures... but I did want to write down the poem we used with our gifts. It was super simple, but we bought a whole bunch of oranges and attached a paper with this poem by tying a string around the orange and then rolling up the paper and tying it on as well so it looked like a little scroll. (Hello, turns out tying a little string onto a round orange is super difficult. When we do this again in years to come, which I think we will because I loved it - I've got to figure out a different packaging method.) I kept thinking about the story of The Christmas Orange, about a little boy in an orphanage but through all of my google searching I couldn't find a summary of the story that was short enough or that would really work for what I wanted it to be. So I wrote this poem. (Don't tell anyone. I just pretended that I found it on the internet because I'm not particularly good at writing poems or things - but I am pretty good and making things up so that they work for what I want them to be.) So here it is:
There's a story of a little child
from a Christmas long ago,
who lived life in an orphanage
amid the cold and snow.
There was not much in the way of gifts,
but they looked forward with the knowledge -
that on Christmas day each child would get
a delicious Christmas Orange.
But when Christmas morn came to the house,
the child tracked mud across the floor.
And though he tried to clean it up,
he was told he wouldn't get his orange anymore.
He begged and cried and pleaded,
and he hoped with all his might.
He felt so alone and tried to pray,
wondering if God knew of his plight.
That night as he lay sleepless,
his little spirit full of dread
an object was placed in his hand
while he curled upon his bed.
It was round but slightly misshapen,
and was sticky here and there.
A Christmas orange pieced together
with incredible love and care.
Each boy that day had saved one piece
of his own very precious gift.
Each tiny slice was the answer to
the child's deepest prayer and wish.
To give an orange at Christmastime,
reminds us of this selfless love.
Much like the love of a Savior King,
sent from our Heavenly Father up above.
We think of the gift freely given to us
safety from loneliness, pain and sin.
And like the children in the orphanage,
we share the peace and love
that only comes from Him.
Merry Christmas,
The Peaden Family
