Gelato Mama Reflects on Her Favorite Holiday Gifts—Both Given and Received

The best Christmas gift I ever received was my American Girl doll, Molly.

The year was 1989, and I was a fourth grader sporting a fresh pair of red-framed glasses. The American Girl dolls were everywhere. These were simpler times, however, and only three dolls were available: Samantha, the rich orphan; Kirsten, the pioneer; and Molly, the one who stole my heart because she also wore glasses. 

Is there a greater reason for a love story? No. There is not.

I desperately coveted Molly, but I knew she was expensive—even in 1989 dollars. On that Christmas morning, as I opened a rectangle-shaped box to reveal that bespectacled girl, I began to cry in astonishment. I looked over to my mom, her eyes shiny with tears, and I knew it was probably one of the best gifts she ever received as well.

As a mom, I’ve had these moments with my kids. We always spent a lot of time at the bookstore when they were little, and in the throes of my son’s wild obsession with Go, Diego, Go!, he found a book shaped like Diego’s computer. Each trip, he’d find it and sit with it in wonder … and made sure to let me know he had asked Santa for it.

He opened that gift on Christmas morning with quiet wonderment, almost in disbelief that Santa delivered this to him. I watched with my own shiny tears, not knowing what was more magnificent: his pure joy for such a simple gift or the beauty of him believing in magic.

While my son has always been a bit of a spartan, my daughter loves stuff. Stuff over here, stuff over there, stuff everywhere. Her Christmas list was always a hilarious reflection of that: farting golf balls, Mexican Coke in a bottle, a “real” astronaut helmet, Trader Joe’s chocolate, French lessons, Biofreeze roll-on. Hunting gear made an interesting repeat appearance, as did packing cubes and multiple pairs of Air Jordan shoes. 

But as much as she loves to drown in a sea of gift wrapping, she also happens to be the most thoughtful, loving gift giver. One of my favorites was a Caboodles straight from my childhood, stuffed with little things that made her think of me. I opened it with shiny tears. A gift made of love. Sponsored by Target.

A few years ago, we were visiting my family for Christmas. All the gifts had been opened, but then my mom handed me a rectangle-shaped box. A Lucky Strike Extra, I asked? I opened it to reveal my Molly, who had long lost her glasses but had been sent to the American Girl Doll Hospital to replace her arm that had fallen off and have her hair brushed out. 

Together, my mom and I cried again with shiny tears. A gift given with love will endure a lifetime. Enjoy a lifetime of love this holiday season.