Giving is better than receiving!

How many times have you heard this one? I learned this one year at Christmas. Not the way that you would think. I was on the receiving end when I really understood the meaning of that saying. It is difficult to really see this photo, but it is one of my most treasured possessions. It is a very fragile blown glass piece of Jonah in the whale's belly.

At my grandparents house each year, we change up our gift giving. On the year that I received this gift it was just a "match the number to the gift" exchange. I was in my late teens that year and when I opened this I wasn't really sure what to think of it. I'm not sure that I really knew what it was. My uncle must have been watching me open it, because he came right over and began to tell me all about it. I will never forget the look in his eyes as he talked about finding it and how excited he was. He couldn't wait for someone to receive it so that he could share his excitement. At that very moment, it didn't matter what I was holding. I felt so fortunate to have opened that whale. I have no idea what else I got that year or very many after, but the whale sits on my bookshelf to this day. It is really a treasure to let the giver tell you about their gift. Maybe that needs to be our new tradition!

So that's all in this day in the life of mommysmart!