Friday, February 08, 2013

Gifts That Keep On Giving

I read recently a query from a bride-to-be who wanted to know from a professional advice columnist how to word her wedding invitation so that she received cash instead of gifts. She didn't want any of the items her friends or relatives might pick out for her; she wanted to buy her own things.

Perhaps there are good reasons to make such a tacky request; maybe you and your soon-to-be have been on your own a long time, and you don't need another blender. But a gift is a gift, and sometimes people give you things you aren't expecting and would never think of yourself.

My home is decorated with a number of items I received as a bride - a very long time ago indeed.


This clock hangs in my kitchen. It was a wedding present from long-time friends of my parents. As long as I keep the battery fresh, it keeps perfect time.


A friend of mine created this little fellow from a mold and gave it to me in honor of the fellow I was marrying.



A friend of my mother's gave me this lead-crystal squirrel. I keep it on my dresser; it's a handy holding place for pins or other small items.



I received this from a friend of mine from the place I worked; she was also the mother of someone I went to high school with. It's a small community; you know people. This sits on my husband's dresser. It's the same candle it came with 30 years ago.




My mother sent me off to be an adult with this pair of scissors, which originally belonged to my great-grandmother. According to family legend, my great-grandmother was sewing by the window during a storm when a bolt of lightning hit. The scissors flew from her hand. They have never needed sharpening.


This well-used crock pot was the wedding gift of one of my closest friends, who was also a coworker at the time. I keep thinking I should replace it but it still works in spite of the cooked-on stains, so I continue to use it.

These are the things I could quickly grab to photograph. I'm sure there are other items in my home that were given to me with thoughtfulness and love on the day I said my "I dos."

Such items mean much more to me than cash ever could. They may not be the most expensive, unique, or prettiest items, but they certainly are important to me.

4 comments:

  1. That bride-to-be will have no problem with cash if she were a bride in my part of Southeast Asia. We all give cash gifts here. During my wedding I never saw a single wrapped present, but loads of envelopes.

    I thought it's a very interesting story about your scissors.

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  2. we've been married only 8 yrs ... but there are present i love & use daily, each week or month. but there others that i wish i had never gotten because they sit & are dust collectors. what i think is best is do what the couple asks for - if they ask for money, gift cards or do a registry ... listen. one most important item i think about when i wash is towels - at the time i asked for colored towels but now that time has gone by - i wish i had asked for WHITE towels - they always will stay white - my colored towels are no longer that bright vibrant color - they are sad colors. oh well - to each his own, right??! i love the fireman. love the crock pot - i use my a lot. ( :

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  3. I also love the gifts we were given for our wedding. I remember the giver each time I use them. Well, MOST of the time. I don't think I would remember each time I looked at a clock!

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  4. Have you tried scouring those cooked-on stains with baking soda? Works for cooked-on stains on Corningware. Might work for a Crockpot.

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