Do you remember when I started the Grandparent's Club series about a 100 years ago or so? I fully intend to finish it, don't you worry. I think I'm just suffering from that -- too much to do, not enough time to do it in -- scenario that us Mom's fall into all the time. Anyway if you need to get caught up you can read part one. Go ahead, I'll wait. Ready? On to part two.
When it comes to Grandma Linda and Papa, a gift card for one of their favourite restaurants is not unusual. In fact it's pretty standard. I fully intended to purchase one for them again this Christmas when I sat down to really think about it. I spent a lot of time with my Christmas shopping list this year, trying to work out how to get the biggest bang for my buck. I think the restaurant gift card is a great gift. I love to get them as much as I love to give them. I mean who doesn't like a break from the kitchen? Especially if you're the one doing all the cooking.
The more I thought about it the more I realized I could give Papa and Grandma Linda a gift card that would pay for all/most of a dinner out. One single night out and then they'd have to wait a year for that gift to come around again. Or I could make them dinner at our place once a month for a year. The end result is the same. A night out away from the kitchen. But it's also so much more.
It's a chance to spend time together as a family. Really we're pretty social with each other, but it's either random dessert and coffee nights or dinners for an occasion (birthdays/holidays). It's a chance for me to cook for people who will actually eat dinner when I put it on the table. It's a chance for me to poke through my cook books and make fabulous desserts. It's a chance to show the girls that family is something important and that we're very lucky to have what we have. That one I know will come along when they're older, but when it does I expect it will be big. It's the chance to give my girls the tools to make smart decisions when they're older. The chance to show them how many people they have that love them. A chance to really celebrate family. All good stuff in my books.
I "invented" the Dinner of the Month Club for Papa and Grandma Linda, because they do enjoy going out for dinner. After dinner we can play it by ear, maybe a bit of TV (a hockey game perhaps) or some Wii bowling, or Grandma Linda and the girls have been known to perform an impromptu play or maybe a board game. So far it's been great fun.
Stay tuned for Part 3 - The Scrabble Game of the Month Club
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