Chris and I decided that this would be a good year for Felix to learn that presents are for giving as well as receiving. We each took him shopping to buy a small present for the other parent. When I was shopping with him, he got right into the spirit of the project and started wondering “hmm, what shall we get for Papa?” Some of his suggestions included a cocktail shaker shaped like a penguin (nice, but too expensive, I decided), a soup tureen shaped like a pumpkin (ghastly), and a shopping cart like the one he was sitting in at the time (sensible, Chris pointed out, since they’re something Papa uses a lot but doesn’t have one of his own).

We finally settled on cookie cutters that Papa can use when he and Felix make cookies. The first candidate was a turtle shape, but then Felix spotted the letters, and the search was all over. So his present for Chris is three cookie cutters in the shape of letters: a P for Papa, an M for Mama, and an F for Felix. He proudly carried these to the cash register and put them on the counter, and then gleefully carried the little bag all the way home.

Of course, he insisted on immediately showing Papa what we’d bought. He hasn’t quite figured out the surprise element of presents yet.

p.s. That’s Felix, above, drawing on his new easel on Christmas morning. Didn’t have a photo of the Christmas shopping, so this will have to do.