Family History and the Best Christmas Present Ever

I've always wanted to give the perfect gift--the kind that lights up the receiver's eyes and makes them look up in delighted surprise. The kind that you spend weeks dreaming about because it's so perfect.

But I'm going to be honest--most years I'm still shopping for presents the week before Christmas, or even on Christmas Eve, which is generally not the time to find the perfect present. Just in case you're wondering.

This year, however, was different. One day I was sitting in Sunday School at church. The lesson was on Family History, and my good friend teaching. Now, just in case you're wondering, I'm not one of those people who generally receive visions in Sunday School (nor do I know any of those people). But during this particular lesson, friends, I had a VISION. I don't remember what the teacher was talking about (something related to family history, I'm sure), but all of a sudden I saw, in my mind, a vision of a book. An ancestor book, to be specific, to give to my nieces and nephews for Christmas. And with a few modifications (because I can't draw and clipart images of girls chasing coyotes are hard to come by), I made that vision a reality. Friends, behold: the Sunday School vision of the ancestor book.

I put pictures of the entire book in so that you, too, could enjoy the fruits of my vision, and also because it was a heck of a lot of work and I want people to see it! The pictures all have velcro on the back, so it's a matching game as well as a book. And I think I finally gave the perfect gift--it was a complete surprise so no one was expecting anything like it, but it will be used for years to come (I hope)!

And judging by their reactions, I think my nieces and nephews (and their parents!) liked it.

Even Peter liked it, although you wouldn't guess it from this picture...

And I'm happy to report that my perfect gift giving streak didn't stop with my nieces and nephews' present. My sister Losaunne is an avid biker, so for her present I donated to an organization called Bikes for the World. It was the amount needed to fix up and send a used bike to someone in Africa or the Philippines. Judging by the look on her face, I think it was a good present!