Christmas Dreams

Today I began to really shop for Christmas. (I know I should be done...everyone I run in to reminds me of that fact).
I would love to give my family everything, but they really don’t need it, and we all know it. So what to do to show them how much I love them? I really would like to get each family member their much hoped for dreams…….
When we were growing up my mom had us all make a Christmas Wish list. Each list was an 81/2 x 11 piece of paper, tri folded. Each column had a title—NEEDS, WANTS, DREAMS. We were then to compile a list under each category of our Christmas wishes. This list making task was met with great thought. It was a joy and easy to fill out the Dream column. In this column we would place the outrageous, the unimaginable and the most hoped for. There were cars and trips and sometimes huge sums of money and fame listed under Dreams. The hardest column to fill out was the Needs. After some pondering and much erasing, we would discover once again that we were very blessed and really needed very little....Our basic needs were more than met. That left the Want column. In this column we would list the toys and all the items we at first thought we needed, then erased and moved to the Wants…. we don’t need, but we want…a whole lot.
I have had my family fill out similar lists every Christmas and this year Jordan and Laurie did the same….the tradition continues.
I love lists, especially the three lists that make up our Christmas Wishes. These lists give me goals, directions, purposes. With this Christmas Wish list I have discovered a little bit more about my family, what they are all about in each phase of their lives and what Wants and Dreams motivate them.
As parents Gary and I have tried over the years to give an item from each column of our kids Christmas List. The Needs and Wants are easy to fulfill, but it is the Dreams that make life and the gift giving fun. Early on the gifts from our Dream Lists have been tokens---toy cars, and movie, music or books to represent the hoped for dream. Some years we have had great joy granting the dream of a much hoped for trip or money to help achieve a dream. Over the years we have tried to help each other hold on to our dreams and work toward them. The best thing about the Dream List is that as the years have passed we have seen a few of our dreams really come true….A dream is a wish you heart makes.
I have kept our families Christmas Wish lists for many years. Looking back at them brings me great joy. I love the memories of each person’s excitement, and appreciation when they have received something from the list….and I especially love the memories of helping Christmas Dreams come true.
So I am off again, with Christmas Lists in hand to try to make more Christmas Dreams come true!
MCC