Soda, deodorant and jerky fine examples of giving

Growing up, there were some lean times in the Wuzzardo house. But through it all, my parents made sure my sister and I always had what we needed and usually the things we wanted, especially around the holidays. They did a great job making sure we understood the importance of giving. No matter how things were going for us, it seems there was always enough money to help a child or family in need at Christmas, usually through the Angel Tree at our church. I’m proud to say my wife and I also make sure to help make sure some kids who may not otherwise have a Merry Christmas through programs like that.

My Mom is an especially great "giver," if you will. She’s the kind of person who rarely asks for anything, but always wants to make sure there’s more than enough for everyone else, especially under the Christmas tree. And again, there were times over the years where that was a bit of a challenge, but Mom has always been creative. And she took an idea from her brother to new lengths to make things work.

One Christmas years ago at my grandparents’ house, when my Uncle James and his family arrived for dinner, each of his four sons walked into the house carrying a large garbage bag filled with "gifts" for everyone. I say "gifts" because most were not your traditional Christmas presents. My uncle had decided to clean out his pantry, closets and cupboards. So in addition to more traditional holiday fare, our vast pile of gifts included cans of soda, sticks of beef jerky, packs of cheese and crackers, adhesive bandages and permanent markers. Most of the items were wrapped individually, creating a seemingly never-ending session of unwrapping. It was fantastic! And it began a family tradition we lovingly call Quantity vs. Quality Christmas.

In the years since, when my Mom (unnecessarily) worried she would not be able to give us enough stuff to open Christmas morning, she would take a page from my uncle’s book, and wrap up whatever she could. While we continued to get our festively-papered soda and snack cakes from Uncle James, Mom would supplement our regular gifts with items we could use every day, particularly toiletries. So as we got older, stocking stuffers evolved from candy and toys to toothpaste and deodorant. One year my sister Kelly thought Mom was taking it a little far. "If I unwrap any feminine hygiene products," Kelly protested, "I’m leaving." Alas, Kelly did not have a Kotex Christmas or anything of the like.

Over time, Kelly adopted the tradition herself. A few years ago during a few days at our parents’ house before Christmas, she helped sorting through and getting rid of some old stuff in the garage. What she found was a treasure trove of regifting possibilities. That Christmas we each opened (including Kelly, who wrapped up a couple things for herself) things we’d received or bought years earlier and had long since forgotten about. She was particularly proud of the wrapping job she did on my glow-in-the-dark generic light saber I’d probably had since I was 8 years old and didn’t even know was still around.

I added a new twist to the tradition last year. My wife (then fiancee) is a teacher. Of course, students and their parents often show their appreciation by giving teachers Christmas gifts. Personally, I am amazed and impressed by how nice much of the stuff is. But what do you do with two or three dozen extra presents of varying sorts, especially when there are duplicates? Well, I decided to have some fun and take them home to my family and play a game called "Is it from Kevin or a 5th Grader?" It was a huge hit! My parents and sister often guessed incorrectly, thinking several gifts had to be from me, because of how nice they were, when in fact they were the kindness of the students and their families. My wife has moved to a new teaching position this year where she does not have a class of her own, so the tradition is ending, or at least on hiatus, this year.

Some people may think these traditions are a bit strange, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. They’ve brought my family a lot of fun over the years and have made our Christmas mornings last longer than they might otherwise. And in the end, we typically wind up with stuff we can really use and enjoy instead of stuff that will collect dust (and possibly become a gift 10 or 15 years later). So if you ever find yourself worrying about being able to give enough for the holidays, think outside the box. Or perhaps just think of boxes. They can be really useful gifts down the road, if only to carry the other gifts home.