Unique Serving Platter

There are many things in life that are met with celebration. There are some that most people celebrate such as a birthday or a wedding. There are others though, that don’t come around for just anyone. Today it seems like a huge feat to come up upon your 50th wedding anniversary. There don’t seem to be many who make it this far, and that can be because of death or divorce. This is actually something that is coming up for my grandparents and I am in awe of the lifetime they have built together.

Though my grandmother had a stroke many years ago, she is still with us. She doesn’t remember a lot of things, but she does remember us. She gets our names wrong, but she is usually pretty close. She calls me by my mom’s name, and that tells me that she knows who I am, but somewhere in there the wires are crossed. I’m not sure if she will realize what a milestone her 50th wedding anniversary will be, but I do know that she still loves my grandfather very much. You can often catch her looking at him in a way that says nothing other than love. I think the fact that they have been through so much and will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary says a lot about that look.

They have been through a lot. I remember when I was young I heard something that might have stopped their marriage from going any further and there would have never been able to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. My grandmother suspected my grandfather had cheated on her. In the end it came out that he and this woman were just friends, but I can understand why the friendship made my grandmother uncomfortable. That woman is still around, though my grandfather doesn’t see her anywhere. I don’t suspect she’ll be invited to the 50th wedding anniversary celebration.

I know this woman and my grandfather had feelings deeper than friendship, though apparently they never acted on them. The sad thing is that she still works right next door to where my grandparents live. She was a friend to my grandmother, which makes me very angry. I am almost tempted to send her some favors from the upcoming 50th wedding anniversary celebration, just to show her that she cannot hurt my grandmother again. That would be childish of me and I should let sleeping dogs lie, but that doesn’t mean it’s not tempted. Despite everything, I think the 50th wedding anniversary is going to be about more than grandparents. It’s going to be a reminder to us all that it is possible to stay together, you just have to be willing to work on it.

The best and most appreciated gifts are always the ones that are homemade and come from the heart. Most people will appreciate a gift that is creative and shows a lot of personality that is given as a gift for any occasion. Some people have nothing, but appreciation for the most expensive gifts in life, and I’d recommend that you get rid of them before any holidays come about. But, for those who may have an appreciation for inexpensive gifts, a bit of creativity can put a lot of smiles on many faces.

It isn’t a secret that adults adore receiving handmade gifts from a child. There’s always the extra glue that sticks out from the edges, excess glitter that litters your carpet for months and lopsided pieces that were glued on ever so tenderly. When you really think about it, that appreciation doesn’t change much as the gift makers grow up. In high school, my children recreated some of the handmade ornaments that they’d once made in their younger years. I had no clue that they were doing this and to have them presented to me on Christmas Day was the best gift that they could have given me. Now that they are grown and have children of their own, each year their youthful and more mature ornaments hang on my tree. It is something that means more to me than any purchased gift ever could.

There are so many things that can be made to give to others. Some wonderful inexpensive gifts can be found in craft stores. Walk through some of the aisles and see if anything interests you. Candles can turn out to be inexpensive gifts to make and usually turn out beautifully. You can purchase a cheap basket and put several inexpensive gifts inside of it. Those gifts may be ones that you created yourself or purchased from a craft show or fair. Around Christmas time one year, I was financially strapped. As much as I wanted to, I simply didn’t have money to give many things. I definitely needed some inexpensive gifts, but elegant. I ended up making potpourri bags from dried flowers and petals, and made lots of candles as well. The best part was that I gave everyone on my list something homemade and all of the supplies had cost me less than $50. Of course, I knew that I had to be willing to put in the time for making everything as well. That’s always priceless.

By using your imagination, dedicating some time and doing some research, you can always come up with some inexpensive gifts that would be perfect for almost any reason or occasion. I guarantee that you’ll get more smiles than a typical and expected sweater would bring.