Being able to make my friends happy with a gift so small, is one of the biggest delights in my life.
December 6th
Every year on December 6th, it is a tradition here in Belgium and the Netherlands to celebrate Saint Nicholas, patron saint of the children.
Parents lie to their kids for years, telling them a bearded man on a horse is bringing them presents if they have been good during the previous year. The Saint has some some dark-skinned helpers, who crawl to the chimney to deliver the presents. If kids didn't behave, they are told that the saint won't bring them presents, and his helpers will put them in a bag and beat them up.
The entire idea is so wrong in so many different ways, still, it's one of the most popular celebrations of the year.
Source
Don't Believe Their Lies = Not Getting Presents
In a lot of families, people stop buying their children presents once they stop believing the story about the Saint bringing the presents with him from Spain, and start realizing that the presents are bought by their parents themselves. Most kids become aware of the fact that their parents have been lying to them when they are about 6 years old.
Personally, I don't think you are setting a good example as a parent by lying to your kids from the day they were born, but of course everybody is free to do as he likes.
My mum never lied to me. She never pretended this Saint Nicholas figure was real in any way. Still, I received a present every year until she died when I was 30 years old. I have great respect for that.
Keeping The Tradition Alive
I'm not very fond of celebrations based on Christian traditions, but to honor her legacy, I try to keep the tradition in alive.
I don't have any children, but I think it's a lot of fun surprising my grown-up friends (who don't receive gifts from their parents anymore) with a little gift on that day. My gifts are small, but they are always super happy with it. Their inner child is still glad that the 'Saint' didn't forget about them.
It's wonderful to see how happy people can be with just a small gift.
Since the 'Saint' mostly brings a lot of tangerines and chocolate, I created a very last-minute gift for the friends that would come over for dinner that night.
DiY Gift
I didn't have time to go to the store, so I had to work with what I had.
So I filled a small flower pot with a tangarine and some chocolate, added some glow-in-the dark figures and a feather to it. Once finished, I noticed something was missing.
My craft suppies are very limited, but I had finally found my #googlyeyes a couple of days earlier, and used them to give the small present just that little extra touch.
This was the end result:
Click to enlarge
I'm not very handy, nor do I have a lot of inspiration when it comes to DIY gifts, so they still look like they were made by a 5 years old. My friends didn't care about that. They were just excited that someone had put in the effort to give them a little gift.
Enjoying The Small Things In Life
I felt so satisfied seeing the lights in their eyes. They looked like toddlers who had just received the very expensive present they wanted so badly. Their happiness was the best gift I could ever get..
It's nice to be surrounded with people who know how to appreciate the smallest things in live... 💜💜
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Orginal Post On Instagram
I got my friends a (very) little something for our Saint Nicholas celebration. It's satisfying to see how 30- and 40 year olds can still appreciate the smaller things in life... 💜😎
Images have been sourced inside the post. Images that aren't sourced were taken myself or created with The Logo Creator 7.
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I love your thinking my friend. Nothing that is based on lies can be good. I remember how upset I was when I found out. But I soon forgave My Mum and Dadbthe next year when the presents still arrived. How easy it is to forgive lol. 😁 Happy Hollidays.
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So you were one of the lucky ones, haha. Many of my friends haven't received gifts since they were like 6 or 7 years old...
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Well look on the bright side look how you have saved the planets resources by not receiving things you didnt need 😀
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Thank you so much for participating the Partiko Delegation Plan Round 1! We really appreciate your support! As part of the delegation benefits, we just gave you a 3.00% upvote! Together, let’s change the world!
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That little extra touch sure makes a big difference :)
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Isn't it alwags that little final touch that makes the difference ? ;0)
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What's important is that the gift is genuinely from the heart. No about how big or expensive it is... That should be the true meaning of gift..
Love your creativity... And I'm sure your friends would love it too
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Thanks, @ireenchew. For years I really struggled with the fact that 'm not artistic: I color, draw, paint and cfaft at the same level I did 35 years ago, in kindergarden. Meanwhile I've learned that
a. I'll probably have other talents
b. If it comes straight from the heart, it is appreciated for sure :0)
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Hi, @simplymike!
You just got a 13.07% upvote from SteemPlus!
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Hi @simplymike!
Your post was upvoted by @steem-ua, new Steem dApp, using UserAuthority for algorithmic post curation!
Your UA account score is currently 4.671 which ranks you at #1576 across all Steem accounts.
Your rank has dropped 9 places in the last three days (old rank 1567).
In our last Algorithmic Curation Round, consisting of 368 contributions, your post is ranked at #18.
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oh wow :D this has to be one of the most heart-warming #GooglyEyes posts I've seen in a while.
Embrace the inner 5-year-old!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful post with #GooglyEyes!
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Thanks for the kind words. I wanted to make it a short post, but these pictures just needed their background stofy tl be told.
Thanks again for the prize and the feeling of accomplishment that it gave me :0)
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What a very cute diy creative craft gift! Love it! Congrats on your win as well! 😉
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Thanks, @crosheille ":0)
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Absolutely! 😉
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hahaha that is such a messed up story, but I love the little present you put together for your friends!! So sweet to do that, and I like that it was not store bought, but with things you had around the house. Love it!
How are you doing these days? :)
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Thanks, Lynn. I have such a lack of creative ideas when it comes to crafting.. this was probably the best thing I ever made. I see 5 year olds do the same in kindergarden, but theirs looks better. But it's the idea that counts, right?!
I'm still on the same rollercoaster as the last couple of months. Both physically as mentallh. There are good days, there are bad days. The biggest problem is that I can't forsee which will be the good days and which will be the bad days :0)
How are you holding up?
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hahaha you and the kindergarteners art! It is the idea that counts ... and that one was perfect :)
And yes, if only we had a crystal ball and could see the bad days in advance, then we could pull the covers back over our heads in the morning and stay in bed all day!
I'm holding up well, thank you. Seriously, Patrick's visit did wonders for both of us and I've accepted a long time ago, that this is just my normal now. And that's ok too.
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Best @share2steem post I’ve seen yet, well done @simplymike. It’s clear to see you have a big heart and warm soul. Peace ✌🏽 I need to learn some tricks from you on how to snazz up a post. The content here definitely matches the aesthetics 🤩⛄️🎁
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Thanks for the kind words, @skramatters.
Btw, the home screen of my phone has been showing a message from Partiko, in which they tell me you sent me a message. It's not that I don't want to reply to you; I just haven't found their DM system yet, lol
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No problem, I'm merely attempting to spread awareness that @partiko has chat! On droid it should be at the center bottom row where trending, notifications, etc are located. Hopefully u can find it, as its incredibly useful..
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Thanks for the kind words, @skramatters.
Btw, the home screen of my phone has been showing a message from Partiko, in which they tell me you sent me a message. It's not that I don't want to reply to you; I just haven't found their DM system yet, lol
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