My grandparents were the giving type, and like most grandparents, they loved to spoil their grandchildren. Gifts of every shape and size were plentiful – toys, jewelry and souvenirs from their exotic journeys overseas – they always greeted us with trinkets and warm hugs. They were awesome grandparents, and I was lucky enough to have a special relationship with them.
But of all the gifts they bestowed upon me, there is one single gift that stands out. A sterling silver necklace.
I was fresh out of college when my grandfather gifted me the necklace. While I was used to receiving gifts and jewelry from my grandparents, this was different. The necklace was just from my grandfather. It was solely picked out and purchased by him, and it was so out of character. He wasn’t the overly sentimental type, and he typically left gift purchasing to my Grandma. I can’t think of a single other gift from my childhood that he picked out. But he told me that when he saw the necklace it reminded him of me, and when he gave it to me it was clearly very special to him and so to me as well.
I’ve looked at the necklace a thousand times, and I still don’t see what he saw. I don’t think it is a necklace I would have ever picked for myself, and yet it is my most favorite necklace ever and one that I wore almost daily for a long time.
Grandpa passed a few years later and a couple years after that the necklace broke. I cried. It can be fixed, and one of these days I will get around to doing so but for now it hangs with my necklaces that I wear regularly, and every time I see it I am reminded of my grandpa. I still miss him fiercely.
That necklace is precious not because it is valuable or even fancy, it was the thought behind the gift that lingers all these years later.
Thanks to Kleenex, it is easy to send someone a gift that is both practical and the thought that counts. Through the Softness Worth Sharing initiative you can send someone in your life a free care package filled with lip balm, hand sanitizer, a coupon booklet, Kleenex® Brand Share Pack, Kleenex® Brand Slim Pack and card redeemable to download four songs from up and coming Universal Music Artists. How’s that for an easy way to show someone you are thinking of them just by buying a specially-marked boxes of Kleenex and redeeming a code inside?
When it comes to teaching my daughter about gift giving, it is always the thought that counts. From handmade gifts to “flowers” that she finds on the playground, her gifts are always about about making the person smile (and she is successful). When I asked K who we should share our care package with she had a long list of ideas. (Apparently, I need to buy more Kleenex!) Eventually we narrowed it down to one person. It is a surprise so I won’t share, but the whole process was super cute.
Learn more on Kleenex Facebook page.
I wrote this review while participating in an ambassador program by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Kleenex brand and received product samples and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.