Day 12 – Dad-Made Gifts

Hey Dad,

Don’t let the fact that it’s only Dec. 7 lull you into a sense of security. The days are clipping by, and you don’t want to get caught watching the paint dry.

I’ve already missed my warm weather opportunity to get a  few ‘dad-made’ gifts finished. Now it’s cold, making my task all the more difficult. But still they must be done.

I’ve got this thing for making gifts for my kids. I think I live under the delusion that dad-made gifts become cherished heirlooms. I know my very first cherished heirloom (a hand made sled made to pull my 3 year old son around the yard) has dissolved from being left out in the weather for 16 years.

My second heirloom (a wooden box with 10 little doors and latches) sits unplayed with in the toy room. But still I carry on.

On the docket this year, is a treasure box for Cal (6) (it’s a coming of age gift) to put all his treasures and the big pirate lock that we bought for it while we were in St. Augustine and something equally  as impressive for Ike (13) and Abe (11).

Here’s the deal, I know they won’t be as excited to have them as I am to give them to them…but I know they will become heirlooms (even if they won’t know it for 30 years).

One day their kids will ask them, “Hey, Dad, where’d you get that old treasure box that’s in your closet?”

They’ll stop and think for a minute and then they’ll say, “My dad made it for me.” I feel the lump already, and that’s why I’m got to get on the stick and get busy.

Hey, Dad, I don’t want to add to your already full plate…but I bet your kids would like and heirloom from you as well (although they may not care diddly about it now). It doesn’t have to be made out of wood or super complicated…just something from you.

You ‘da dad,

Todd