My Early Christmas Present

Warning the following post contains mommy bragging.

I sometimes wonder if my children will learn to be frugal, and appreciate things like recycling and repurposing. If the current activities are any indication, our nine year old certainly is learning from our example.

For the past few days Kellen has been sneaking off to the storage shed when he gets a spare moment. I was told he was working on a present, and given strict instructions to not enter the shed.

Yesterday, he emerged from the shed with a gift wrapped circular object. When I inquired if it was a wreath he got a deflated look on his face. Instantly, I wished I would have kept my mouth shut. I made a joke of it, and said "What did you think I'd think it was a mini hula hoop?" That made him smile, and he responded, "Do you know how long it took me to wrap that?"

Then he told me that I needed to open it before Christmas. This is what I found when I removed the paper.

He made me a fresh pine wreath using only materials we had on hand. For the pine he used the branches we trimmed from our Christmas tree. To keep it all together he used twine from our hay bales. For the bow he found some ribbon in the Christmas decorations.

Now I know it is not the most perfect wreath ever, but he is nine, and he made it by himself. In my book that makes it better than any wreath I could buy or make myself. We did adjust the bow a bit, and added some florist wire in one spot that the twine was not holding well. It is now proudly displayed on my door while my fake store bought one remains in its storage box.