Tuesday, December 23, 2008

The Most Wonderful Christmas Present


Every Monday, my little ladies sit at the table of one Kristie Horn, an instructor in the gifted program at a local public school here in Georgia. I sought her out last year when my Mari needed a little extra help in math; eventually, Kristie’s incredible instruction not only got my daughter’s ‘rithmatic up to speed, but helped her earn one of the highest standardized test math scores in her grade (that’s my baby!). And now, rather than tutor her, Kristie gives both Mari and Lila what we like to call math “enrichment”—the kind of instruction that will make my little girls beasts in a subject girls are traditionally steered away from. Kristie treats my daughters as if they are the most brilliant little children she’s ever met, and has become one of my closest confidants when it comes to the education of my daughters.

But this is only one reason why my family adores Kristie.

In addition to her kid-math prowess, she’s become quite a friend to our family; Kristie is a fantastic mother to her three beautiful children, a terrific wife to her husband—kind, intelligent, passionate, honest, and devoted to God first, and family a close second. And she’s always encouraging us to remember the importance of embracing all that’s sacred when it comes to raising up our little ones—invest heavily in their education, spend plenty of time with them, give them space to be kids, and love them with abandon.

To that end, Kristie gave us an incredibly meaningful gift this Christmas—one cleverly designed to bring our family closer together. It’s called “The Millner-Chiles Family Game,” and Kristie designed it all by herself. It’s a small vase simply decorated with ribbon, and filled with questions meant to inspire discussion between me, my husband, and our children. Some of the questions are introspective (“What makes a house a home?” “What does it mean to be honest?”), while some of the questions are meant to be revealing (“Name three things (besides people) that you wouldn’t want to live without,” “What would you like to be famous for?” “What is one thing about your family you would like to change?”). Others are just plain fun (“What is the strangest thing you have ever eaten?” “What color makes you feel happy?”).

All of the questions are incredibly illuminating, and while we haven’t had the chance to play just yet, we’re looking forward to it, for sure. I mean, I really want to know what the 6-year-old has to say about our annoying habits, and what about our family the 9-year-old would like to change, and especially what the 16-year-old thinks is the best age to be. I can only imagine that all kinds of interesting conversation will be sparked—all kinds of insights will come to light. And we’ll feel more connected because of it.

And to think that this gift cost Kristie practically nothing; she put the questions in a cute little vase you can pick up at Michael’s for, like, $2, wrapped a pretty ribbon around it, and printed the questions out on heavy card stock.

But the benefits of her inexpensive but incredibly thoughtful gift are priceless.

Thank you, Kristie, for being such a blessing to this family. We love you madly.


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12 comments:

  1. Wow, I would love to recieve that as a gift. I am definitly going to have to borrow this idea. I maagine this would be a great game to play at a family gathering, just to see how people think. I love to hear the many answers that people would come up with. Great Post

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  2. Beautiful! I love how the least expensive gift (money-wise) is the richest gift given/received. Thank you for sharing this idea.

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  3. I've been wracking my brain for an idea of what I could give my sisters as Christmas gifts this year. This is perfect! And I think I have everything right here in my home to make it. This is a delightful idea and I'm so glad you shared it today.

    P.S. It would have been worth money to see my high-heeled dash through the never-ending house. I am just thanking God that they don't have a VIDEO security system. I'd be on "America's Funniest Videos" for sure!

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  4. Great gift idea! I'm glad I'm not the only person who uses the word "beast" in a positive way. Love your blog!

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  5. Wonderful idea. Thanks for sharing, Denene!! We hope to have the Kristie-like teachers in our lives when our little ones enter the school system. Thanks much!

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  6. That's a brilliant idea! (Note: steal idea) I'm especially interested in hearing what your teen thinks is the best age. Mine was shocked to hear my best year was 26-he was hoping for something magical by next year (18). :D

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  7. What an amazing idea! I can just imagine the insight this will give you into your family and your precious children. And it may give them an opportunity to share ideas that they typically wouldn't. A safe environment to tell you how they feel. I love this. It shows what a special lady she must be. I wish I had had this one my children were younger. You'll have to let us know what kinds of things evolve from this.

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  8. What a wonderful gift idea! It's going to give you all great insight on how each other thinks. I wish I was a fly on the wall hearing some of the answers!

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  9. Wow--what a great idea and gift! She sounds like a terrific lady!

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  10. Wow! What a great idea...I love it. It's such an amazing feeling when God sends just what we need. Kristie is definitely heaven sent.

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  11. That is a wonderful gift. I know that ya'll are gonna have a lot of fun with it =)

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  12. That is a great gift! Love it. I may have to use this idea.

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