Not sure where it started, but my mom and I started joking about “winning” Christmas or birthdays. In simple terms, you win by giving the most meaningful, favorite gift given, etc. You get the idea, pretty simple. It’s never an official vote, but we pride ourselves on creating or finding the perfect gift that makes everyone go “awwwwwwww”.
Wanna know my secret?
You always want to tug on the heart strings – giving them the newest Stanley cup or a lego set is super cool and they will totally love it, but imagine a gift you could keep experiencing throughout the year or for many years and imagine if experiencing it brought the biggest smile to their face – that is my secret weapon.
That’s a little vague, sooooooo
Let me give you some examples!
To state the OBVIOUS, I am the photographer of the family. I love to capture all of the joy during family time – vacations, dinners, holidays, outings etc. This is an important tidbit to state upfront.
The same year I got my first real camera, I wanted to find a way to share the best end-of-year photos of my family! So I got the idea to create a calendar for everyone! I went on Shutterfly and ordered a 5 inch x 7 inch easel calendar and for all 12 months of the calendar, I uploaded a photo I had taken during that year. The first year I gave this gift the response was overwhelming! Not only did everyone love the calendar, but they kept reliving the joy throughout the year! In our family group chat, at the start of every month, at least one person snaps a photo of that month’s calendar layout and shares it with the rest of the fam.
I absolutely won Christmas that year!
Since then I have continued the tradition, each year with different photos.
Second gift is debuting THIS YEAR so family, consider yourself warned and read no further! This year I had a super late idea fairy and decided to design a puzzle!
Yeah, a puzzle!
A full 20 inch x 30 inch 1014 pieces puzzle.
It looks amazing and I am super excited for the family to open it. My mom made a family puzzle so many years ago and it was a big hit and we still pull it out to put it together. I think a new puzzle with updated photos including ALLLLLL of the grandkids will be the top gift of Christmas! I’ll keep y’all updated on the response to this gift!
Preview of this year’s top gifts! Again, family, view at your own risk!
Winning Christmas to us, is all about putting my family’s joy first and helping them relive that joy for as long as possible.
