This is it! Last chance for those pre-shopping workouts: squats (to reach the bottom shelf), lunges (for squeezing past fellow shoppers), and cardio (to build stamina during this marathon of a holiday shopping season). Let's go! go! go!
Last year, Santa brought the gift of all gifts for my boys - a windy race track that spun cars around at “lightning” fast speed. They jumped for joy, hugged and kissed the box, and screamed, “thank you Santa!” over and over and over.
They wanted it set up right then and they played with the track for hours. The next day, they played with it again. And the next day, a little less….and soon, it was dismantled and tossed into the toy box. Over the course of the year, it made an appearance every-so-often, but the excitement had faded.
Also that Christmas morning, they each received a bear from Santa. Each bear was handmade; one sporting “Phillies” fabric, the other “Yankees” fabric. Those bears were hugged and kissed and loved, too, and even made it into their bedroom that night (the track stayed in the living room). The next morning, my 3-year-old approached me with his Yankees bear in hand. He said quietly, “Mommy, I bet Mrs. Claus made him for me; I think she knows how to sew.” It was darn near the sweetest thing I ever heard.
Those bears weren’t the only handmade gifts my sons received that year. My 3-year-old got a cool “Thomas the Tank Engine” crayon wallet and notebook set, while my 5-year-old received a “totally rad” surfer’s necklace. Throughout the year, while the car track lay in pieces, they slept lovingly with their bears, that crayon wallet made it to every car trip and my 5-year-old wears his “awesome” surfer chain whenever mommy allows it (parties only).
Handmade didn’t just stop there! It was a “Handmade Holiday” for all, with members of my family and our dear friends receiving handcrafted wallets, purses, soaps and jewelry….all from talented artisans found on etsy. Everyone was amazed at the quality and beauty of these items. I have found that handmade gifts have that little extra “something” that goes a long way….
I even got my own handmade gift from my husband- yep, he got into the handmade holiday craze, too! In fact, he worked one-on-one with a designer on etsy, and they created a one-of-a-kind purse for me. I love the purse not just because it’s beautiful, functional, and matches almost everything in my closet, but because it was designed by my husband and crafted by an artisan with whom he built a relationship. Take that, Nine West!
So once again, this is IT. Your last minute pre-shopping workout: squat, lunge, reach, push! Or maybe this Black Friday, instead of fighting the masses at department stores, or making that difficult decision whether or not to lose your spot in line to find a desperately-needed bathroom, you’ll consider buying something handmade online or at a local craft fair that can be cherished for years to come.
It’s so much easier than working out.
Happy Holidays from B*Cheeky Boutique!!
~Angela
AngelfishBoutique
with 
This of course depends on your child's age and skill level but I think parents of children over the age of 7 will appreciate the capabilities of a real machine and it's ease of use for both of you.
