There’s just nothing better than a gift that has meaning behind it. You know what I mean? It’s always fun to watch your child unwrap the toys they wanted on their Christmas wish list, but it means so much more to see them open a gift that you know someone put their heart and soul into.
We received a Frosty the Snowman Hallmark Recordable Storybook for Alea 1 year before we lost Alea’s Great Grandma Bauer to a devastating infection as a result of her leukemia. Her and Grandpa recorded themselves reading Frosty the Snowman and each took turn reading a page. When she passed away we were living 4 hours away. We drove down as fast as we could because we knew we were going to have to say our good-byes. We were so thankful to make it in time to do so. She left this earth far too soon and we miss her and think about her every single day.
After a long, sad, and very heartbreaking weekend, we were exhausted after the long drive home. We made our way inside and dropped our bags on the floor. Grandma must’ve known we needed to hear her voice one last time because I immediately remembered the book she and Grandpa had gifted Alea just one year prior. I found it right away and Alea set it down on the counter, pulled up the barstool, sat down and flipped the book open.
Goosebumps covered our arms and tears filled our eyes.
I can’t even tell you how much it means to have her voice there forever and to hear her reading to Alea, even though she’s not physically here with us anymore.
Gifts from the heart is exactly what Hallmark is all about. I’m so eternally grateful for them for creating these Recordable Storybooks. We also have one from my grandma and I recorded one for Alea as well. For any family members near and far reading this blog post, I’m sure you can guess that we’d love for you to record one of these for Alea, too, and she’d love to receive more this holiday season!
If you’re on the hunt for some seriously meaningful gift ideas, look no further than Hallmark! They have beautiful candles and soaps, beautiful Christmas cards, and lots of great gifts for the littles in your life as well.
What meaningful gifts do you have on your Christmas shopping list this year?
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Such a cute option!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes