It’s The Little Things That Matter Most
By admin
My niece is 2.5 going on 15 but one thing that blows my mind is the joy she finds in the smallest of things.
Come Christmas morning she is going to be completely overwhelmed and excited by all the toys delivered from Santa, so we decided to give her our presents this past weekend.
Yes, it was partially selfish… I wanted to see her excitement when she saw what Aunt Kiki and Uncle Dan picked out for her. I knew that if we waited until Christmas morning, our gifts would be opened and tossed to the side so she could move on to the next.
I’m so glad we did it this way.
I’m pretty sure that we could have wrapped up a toilet paper roll and she would have thought it was the coolest toilet paper roll ever. The sparkle in her eyes when we told her that the presents were for her was just the cutest thing ever.
Watching her peel each present open as if it were a delicate flower melted me heart (while also making my impatient self want to rip it open for her).
One of the gifts was a soccer ball. It wasn’t expensive, just a little extra something we thought she might like. Did I mention she loves throwing and kicking balls? And I have to say, she’s pretty freaking athletic already. Dan and I of course want to encourage that.
Well, you would have thought it was made of gold. There were ooohs and ahhhs and “it’s a baketball!” Side note… she thinks all balls are basketballs.
Sorry poor quality, it’s impossible to get a toddler to freeze
The ball cost $ 10, nothing fancy. It wasn’t the main present but it delivered so much joy.
What Brings Happiness?
On Christmas morning we will wake up and rush to open gifts. There may be some things that deliver the oohs and ahhhs. And there will be some gifts that will still receive oohs and ahhs with an underlining hint of disappointment.
But remember what brings the most happiness. What makes your heart melt? What makes you smile?
Is it the $ 300 gift from your husband? Or is it waking up to the pitter patter of feet running to grab stockings? Or waking up without an alarm clock to a fresh pot of coffee and the scent of Christmas tree in the air?
Today Dan and are our celebrating the little things together. We’re turning off our computers (crazy, right?), turning off our phones (we’ve lost our minds), packing an overnight bag and heading into downtown Charleston for an evening for just the two of us.
It’s these times that matter most to me. Not what the presents are under the tree, but the experiences we are able to share together. Those that bring us closer as a couple.
The smallest act of simply turning off the computer will make me smile like Lainey did when seeing that soccer ball.
Having my husband see me in heels instead of Mizunos and a dress instead of Under Armour will have me smiling as if I just saw Santa.
And feeling confident in that dress and in those heels because of the past 12 months of a healthy dedicated lifestyle will make Dan smile. Because, yes I do work hard not only for me, but so that he can be wowed when seeing me. And hopefully get those butterflies in his belly while thinking “Wow, that’s my wife?!”
It’s the little things… let’s not forget that.
What’s the best holiday gift that you ever received that didn’t cost a dime?
Mine is pretty cheesy but then again so is this post, so I’ll go with it. The best gift was when after years of dropping Dan off at the airport so he could have Christmas with his family while I stayed here to have Christmas with mine, we finally had Christmas together.
I cried every year when kissing him good-bye in the parking lot. Not having to do that any longer was the best. Oh and he proposed that year too but I guess technically that wasn’t free since he had a ring?