Little Mama Gives Back :: Teaching The Gift of Giving at Christmas (With Elf Feet)

We have been pretty on top of things this year – and when I say ‘on top of things‘, I mean, we actually DID things this Christmas. Crafts, Holiday family activities (we finally got to ride that horse and buggy!), fun, lame, warm, cold – whatevs! We did it. That’s light years ahead of what we did the last couple Christmases (which was pretty much nothing), so we’re feeling pretty good.

Now that Little Mama is eagerly living up to her name, she has been less of a handful, and more of a helping hand. From stamping cards, to throwing them in the slot (that’s a HUGE undertaking in the land of the little mamas, btw), to being the little finger that helps secure bows as they get fastened, to finding heartwarming yet practical gifts for our loved ones, this little one has been a BIG help.

As organized as we felt we have been this year – well, in our books, it was as good as it gets – we still felt like there was something very important that needed to be done to complete our Christmas list of to-dos.

We needed to give back.

Because we all know, nothing is more rewarding than the gift of giving. But since we’ve hit our budget to the max, it was time to get creative. The challenge was to think of a neat way to thank all of those wonderful people who have done so much throughout the year to help our family. We have been through such a rollercoaster of emotions ranging from elation and high hopes, to grief and sorrow – and back again, and we wouldn’t have made it through this tumultuous journey without a little help from our friends. It was time to give back to them in the best way Little Mama knew how.

So we put on our comfy holiday jammies, and got to work…

The world’s Tiniest Santa decided it was time to leave her footprint at all her stops this Christmas. Her elf foot, that is – thanks to our friends at Taffy Talk for such a fab idea.

Tiny Santa was over the moon excited to get started with her drop offs. What started with a handful, turned into a car trunk stuffed to the brim with little elf feet ready to be delivered.

Our first stops consisted of our medical specialists and staff who have been working diligently for the past 3 years to help us grow our family, and to finally put the smack down on infertility. Such loving people who have seen us through our worst and have encouraged us to feel our best. Our dentist who is so kind and has magically convinced Little Mama that brushing her teeth is actually a cool thing to do. She was so excited to surprise them and greet them with a little yummy Elf love from one of their tiniest clients.

Our Priest has held one too many memorial services for our little ones this year alone (4 in 2 years), so it was time to celebrate HIM for once. She was especially excited to have this moment with her favorite pastor, that did not include a tearful exchange. He gave the Tiny Santa the biggest hug and eventually walked away smiling from ear to ear with a joyful tear peeking from the corner of his eye.

The director of the cemetery who held our hands while we placed our babies in their new home, was also greeted with much anticipated smiles and laughter, a contrast to the norm. Even our stylist got some elf love from her little friend. She’s the one who makes us look our best, even when we don’t always feel it. We were thrilled to develop friendships over the years with like-minded people who love what they do, and do what they love – one of them being Ladena from My Baby Stuff. She is always so supportive and encouraging in this big and sometimes intimidating world of building an online presence. We were glad to bring our online friendship offline.

Of course, we had a very special house to visit. Why wouldn’t any Santa, tiny or not, find the need to stop and enjoy this dose of amazing in between drop offs?

Our next stop was the Police Station. They have done such an amazing job making us feel safe and protected. The Police officer was so touched by Little Mama‘s gesture that she returned the love with a special treat of her own (that later found its way into Big Daddy‘s tummy… but that’s another post altogether). All smiles for this happy, tiny, often law-abiding citizen.

But the highlight of our day was stopping by the fire station.

Little Mama was a little overwhelmed at first, with omnipresence of the big red truck – something she had only seen on tv or from a far distance. But no sooner was she making herself at home, acting like she was right in there fighting fires like the rest of them.

Okay – so we’re into fashion and presentation right? Do you think we would let a little detail, like color, stand in the way of this heartfelt moment of gift giving?

Um – yeah. Naturally.

So… we jumped at the opportunity to give our friends at the fire station in their big red trucks – their very own RED elf foot! How clever are we??

Little Mama was beyond excited to get her own private tour of the big red truck – with a full explanation of how things work on the day to day, and even a chance to sit on the driver’s seat. Wait. Does that mean, I have to let her do that with our car?

Nah.

As you can see – my job as mommy this season, though still a work in progress, is starting off on the right foot – pun intended. If all we got out of this day of Christmas drop offs was a good hang out sesh with some extra special friends, then we did it right. We got so many smiles today, which is such a contrast from all the hustle and bustle of the shopping madness surrounding us. Who would have thought this smiling little monkey had the capacity to make such a big difference in at least 1 person’s day today with her uneven elf cut outs, broken cookies, and giggles of pure bliss?

We were on such a high from all the hugs and high fives we got all day, we decided to bring some of that good stuff to our babes – a spot we visit as often as we can as a family. Little Mama, told her angel siblings, in her big sister I-know-better-than-you-but-I-love-you tone, “for it is in giving, that we receive”.

Remember, big sis knows best…

Have yoursELF a Mewwy Little Chwistmas!!

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