Starting a new Christmas Tradition: Found Gifts

My friend Richard has a great post about his experience with Found Gifts.  I wanted to share his post and a story of my own.

A “found gift” is a gift that has special meaning about or for the recipient.  In this age of big ticket items and buying gift cards (not to mention cash), we have lost the fine art of giving gifts that really mean something.

Over Thanksgiving, our family draws names out of a hat for the person that we will give the “found gift” to at Christmas.  The rules are simple.  Keep the name a secret. Do not just go out and buy a gift (spending no money is preferable, but sometime necessary).  The gift has to either be something that is “found” around the house or made.  And an optional “rule” that we use is that the giver must include a written description of the gift and why they are giving it, and they are expected to read the letter out loud (scary, huh?)

This little tradition has transformed our family Christmas celebrations. Sure, we still give the standard gifts: toys, clothes, and do-dads.  But on Christmas Eve, after we all get into our new pajamas, we share our found gifts with each other as a way to symbolize our relationship with Christ and with each other.

Last year, my wife drew my name.  The gift she gave me was a small key that had been kept in her van glove box.  The key was of little importance, but kept there because of the roof rack I installed on that that has a locking mechanism.  The key doesn’t even unlock the racks.  It is the “core” key — it is a blank key that is used to install (or uninstall) the core of the locking mechanism.  When I explained that though the key doesn’t actually unlock the system, it does get to the very core of the system, my wife knew she had found her gift.

On Christmas morning, I opened my gift…that simple little key.  Lynne went on to explain that she said my explanation of the key’s purpose was similar to my role in her life and the life of our family…that my leadership gets to the very core of who we are as a familly.  She went on to talk about how important I was as a husband and a father.  As a guy that often feels like he is failing as a husband or father (what dad/husband doesn’t?), these words of encouragement and appreciation were deeply touching.

Today, I still carry this gift around on my key chain as a constant reminder that I am important and valued as the leader of my family.  When all other gifts I received at Christmas were forgotten the next week, this gift stays with me, and continues to transform my relationship with my wife and kids.

I encourage you to consider starting a new tradition in your family this year…I guarantee that it will make a huge difference!  Let me know how it went.

Merry Christmas!