It's About the Meaning, Not the Money

Hey friends! Sorry I've been a little MIA lately, but December proved the be a busier month than I anticipated. Jimmy and I were able to go home for 10 days and spend a crazy, but wonderful Holiday season with our families.

I'm sure y'all are expected some kind of resolution/goals post because its the beginning of the year, but I'm playing a little game of catch up so that post is coming next week.

This post is more Christmas focused.

Christmas is one of my most favorite times of the year; the lights, cozying up in my fuzzy socks, hot chocolate, and being able to focus more on the birth and life our dear Savior, Jesus Christ. There truly is something magical about this time of year.

I feel like, and this might just be me, that commercialism and a focus on gifts has started to over-run the real reason for the Christmas season and I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten caught up in it in the past. For many years I would become fixated on the gifts I gave and received and, particularly, their monetary value. I loved receiving things that were more expensive and was easily disappointed if I felt like something I was received was worth very much. I hate admitting this about me because it makes me look selfish and ungrateful, but it's the truth.

This Christmas, I tried to focus on the meaning behind the gifts I gave and received then on their worldly value and I've gotta say, it made my Christmas so much better. It helped me realize how much the people in my life love me and understand me and I was able to give gifts that (hopefully) made the recipients feel loved and understood.

With all of that being said, I wanted to share with y'all a few of the most meaningful gifts that I received this year:

First up is this "Strange Dream Journal" from my best friend. I'd say about 90% of our phone calls/texts to each other start with the phrase "I had the craziest dream last night". No joke, we seriously have the craziest, funniest, most bizarre dreams and we love sharing them with each other, so this gift was perfect!

Next are these three Harry Potter themed gifts from my sweet sister-in-law. If you don't already know this about me, I am a HUGE Harry Potter fan (like I'm working my way through the series for my 18th time right now). So just with that she knocked it out of the park with these gifts. But, to add even more meaning to the gifts, she hand-cut out all of the Cards Against Muggles cards and she made the three wands BY HAND! Seriously, the time and thought she put into these gifts meant so much to me and almost made me cry.

Last up is this amazing minky blanket from my wonderful hubby. If you can't tell from my face in these pictures, I was so excited to get this blanket. I absolutely love the blankets from Minky Couture; they are so soft and cuddly and they are a little bit weighted which helps calm me when I have panic attacks (like I almost always ask Jimmy to grab my minky blanket when I feel an attack coming on or as I'm calming down from one). I have been asking him for another one for a few months now, but they are a little pricey and we couldn't really justify the expense. My husband really thought this blanket out and had it custom made. Elephants are my favorite animal, so he chose that pattern for the front. On the backside he chose a color that I had asked him about MONTHS ago and I didn't think he would remember (or if he even looked over at the screen when I originally showed it to him). Seriously, I married the most thoughtful man.

These gifts (and all of the others I received) made me feel so loved this Christmas season and really helped me see that the meaning, thought, and effort behind a gift are worth so much more than any type of monetary value that can be placed upon them. I am incredibly grateful and incredibly blessed to have people in life who make it just a little bit less messi.

Stay Messi (and grateful),

Jessi

P.S. I would to hear about the meaningful gifts you gave or received this Christmas; feel free to drop and picture or comment below.