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Canada, friends, fun, funny, humour, Hump Day Chronicles, living in the moment, memories, Relationships, Travel, visitors
Imagine my delight when I found out in a private message via Facebook that my favourite Canadian, Scottish, Israeli friends were coming to Alberta, Canada for a visit!
I was beside myself with joy, eagerly anticipating their visit.
They arrived last Thursday and are staying with friends in Olds, about an hour’s drive away.
My favourite Canadian, Scottish, Israeli friends; George and Annie, contacted me on Sunday to let me know they were coming to Calgary on Monday.
Maybe I should explain why I call them my favourite Canadian, Scottish, Israeli friends before going on.
I’ve known George for 24 years. He met Annie who was born in Uganda, moved to Scotland with her family in her teens, went to school in England, then moved to Israel where she was working as a nurse, when he visited some years back. That’s where they met and they just clicked.
Are you still with me?
I met Annie when she visited Canada and her and George worked at Mountain Aire Lodge together just outside Sundre. George and Annie were married in Scotland and that’s where they currently live, close to Annie’s family.
Anyway, I was beside myself with joy, eagerly anticipating their visit and wanted to surprise them with a unique gift.
The trouble is I currently have more time than money. Luckily, I found a gift that was unique and would give them and others the giggles for years to come.
Although I chose a brilliant gift (I have to be careful here not to break my arm, patting myself on my back), it’s not an expensive gift. So what on earth could I do to distract them from the fact that I did not spend a lot of money on their gift?
Well fortunately, I currently have a lot of time on my hands to plot and be creative and I thought it might be helpful to others for me to share my technique.
What to do when you want to distract people from the fact that you did not spend a lot of money on their gift
Turn the Giving of the Gift into an event.
GET A BLANK CARD or make one with the cardboard from an old cereal box or something, whatever… and fill it to the hilt with lots of words. Just go on and on about nothing in particular.
I chose to ramble on about my thought processes at the time of purchasing their gift and ran through all the gift options I had considered and why I scrapped each, one-by-one, until I found THE gift that was now wrapped and on the table in front of them.
Next. Make them read the card out loud before opening the gift. Annie had reached past the card for the gift and I said, “Hey, hey read the card first!”
Hint: It is more fun for you if you write with small letters and present the card in a place where the lighting is poor.
GIFT PRESENTATION. Wrap the inexpensive gift in plain paper. Paper grocery bags work. Decorate the paper with drawings, clever words, stickers, buttons, uncooked macaroni, or left over Christmas bows. Let your imagination run wild!
Just look at the amazing results I got below using a white grocery bag and 4 dry erase markers!
Art and words on the front of the package
I have actually been drawing that guy with the big nose behind a wall since I was a kid. I’ve drawn him at the end of letters. I’ve drawn him on the back of sealed envelopes when posting letters, I’ve drawn him on furniture – you name it.
I took this picture and texted it to my daughter and she texted back, “Hey, I remember that guy, you put that on all my birthday cards!
But I have never – and this is where it gets exciting – I have never drawn Mr. Big Nose from behind! Great idea or what?
Fortunately for me, the wrapped package had two sides, so when I was done with the front, I flipped it over and…
Art on the back of the package
I took a picture of the back of the package and texted it to my daughter. She texted back, “Bahahahahahaha!”
Well there it was on the table in front of them. Annie started to unwrap it and I said, “Hey, hey look at the back!” So they looked. And they laughed. Annie unwrapped the gift carefully. She wanted to keep the paper. And they even loved the gift that I didn’t spend a lot of money on. In fact, I think they thought it was expensive, like $800 or something, whatever…
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
When did you last set aside some time to be creative? Let your imagination run wild? Do you have friends that you don’t see often because they live far away? When you do see them, do you just pick up where you left off?
talktodiana 
That is hilarious! I LOVE your little man decorating the package! 😀 So creative! 😀
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Thanks Rachel! ❤
Diana xo
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I won’t swear to it but the “front” of your package is or reminds me of a cartoon that was popular during World War II. The guy was “Killroy.” The joke was that cartoon would be some place with a quote: “Clap your hands. Jump for joy. I was here before Killroy.” Killroy’s response: “Not to spoil your little joke. I was here first, but my pencil broke.”
Your creative ideas are wonderful. I have drawn cartoons on brown paper bags instead of buying wrapping paper. But our daughters are the real creative queens. For our anniversary, they created a menu in Italian with a translation. Our grandson spoke in Italian and the translator was our granddaughter. The dinner was Italian food specialties. My husband and I felt really spoiled. I’m glad they didn’t go broke renting out a place, etc.
Diana … We had a marvelous time. It sounds like you and your friends did, too. 😉
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You’re absolutely right Judy! I was informed by other readers that my drawing was Kilroy. I’ve been drawing that for as long as I can remember, never knowing where it came from. I can however claim the backside as my own creation! 😉
Diana xo
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😆 Kilroy does crack me up. Great backside drawing, Diana.
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You are hilarious, Diana!
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haha, I try Denise!
Diana xo
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Good old Kilroy. I almost forgot all about him. 🙂
Diana, this post reminds me of the little saying: “Collect moments, not things”. I am sure your friends enjoyed the moment you created for them, and the memory and love that went into it. I have to remember to follow your example.
Creating something meaningful for others is what a well-lived life is all about, don’t you think?
Jennifer xo
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I really like the way you worded that Jennifer – it’s like you’re a writer or something! 😉
Diana xo
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I try! ❤
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Terrific idea! Memories last longer than gifts – 🙂 I am sure you all had a wonderful time. And yes, I can see someone that I have not seen in years – literally not seen in years and we pick up right where we left off. That is something that is beyond friendship.
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Isn’t that amazing when it happens Patty? I do agree: memories last longer than gifts!
Diana xo
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What a fun and creative gift!
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Thanks Sheryl! ❤
Diana xo
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You know you have given the best gift when this old saying is true from the gift-getters: It’s the thought that counts. And you made sure your little bit of available cash was stretched by the time you had to make it count. Way to go. Your big nose man has a great sense of self from behind, Diana. I’m glad you got to share that at last, too! Bahahahaha indeed!!! 🙂
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I had fun, that’s for sure Mark! And I learned Mr. Big Nose is Kilroy from readers!!
Diana xo
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The card thing I have never thought of doing before and I often don’t spend a lot of gifts mostly because I don’t have a lot of money to spend but I do try and find something the person will like but I will have to give the card thing a try
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Hope it works out and is fun for you Jo-Anne!
Diana xo
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Your funny Diana and your thoughtfulness and humour that went into that present was worth more than $800!! You never know, you may just be able to earn some money with your talent in artwork.
Make sure you copyright the backside!!
Karen
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Punny Karen – backside!! Yeah, I’m not going to hold breath waiting for money from my artwork. 🙂
Diana xo
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love it … and yes packing things up is nearly more fun that giving
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I know, eh Jensine? I spent hours plotting, creating, writing!
Diana xo
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Diana,
Great idea and fun story. Also, never knew that there was a “back side” of the guy with his nose over the wall.
-Alan
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I invented the back side Alan! 😀
Diana xo
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I knew that!
-Alan 🙂
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Love your creative gift! Have fun with your guests!
I try to think of fun things too— can’t remember any now of course.
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If you’re anything like me, you’ll wake up in the middle of the night with the perfect example of something you did!
Diana xo
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My immediate and most simple thought, Diana, was/is “What ever happened to the wonderful adage, it’s the thought that counts?” It’s about the giving and the intent behind the gifting. 🙂
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haha true, and my own amusement Eric! 😉
Diana xo
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To me, PRICE never has been the point of a great gift…. It’s whether the recipient would really like and appreciate it, that counts; because they’ll KNOW how much thought, time and effort you put into finding (and many times actually making) something special, just for them…
We have a long-standing tradition in our family, which started out for the same reasons that you put so much time into the presentation of your gift (MUCH more time than money, LOL!) of putting a message containing hints about what was inside, that became more and more complicated as the giver and receiver got older (and better at guessing: ) PLUS gifts were often disguised as well so, trying to figure out what was inside, built up the excitement level before opening the gift for both the giver AND the receiver! It truly was (and IS) better to give than receive…
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What a fun way to exchange gifts Deb – I love it!
Diana xo
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Sorry Diana! That was kinda long, wasn’t it?! I just so GOT your idea of wrapping paper distraction… Which was HILARIOUS, btw (especially loved the “backside” of your present; )
Pretty sure “Kilroy was here!” Is something that the American GI’s used to write during WWII.
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Is that who Mr. Big Nose is?? I never knew that or where I had first seen him Deb!
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Well, you’re(we’re) not old enough to have been there; ) so, it must’ve been old John Wayne movies, right?
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no clue Deb. I was drawing that in elementary school!
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You’re right – here it is!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilroy_was_here
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I, too, have drawn Kilroy quite a few times in my day! He was a lot easier to draw than Snoopy (let alone any other cartoon character)!!
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No kidding, eh Smitty? Did you draw the partial sun on the top right-hand corner as well?
Diana xo
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No, just the half-face and hands peeking over the wall. (Does that mean I’m not a “sunny” personality? 😕 )
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haha, I don’t know, does it? Maybe the sun thing is a girl thing. 😉
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Well, I certainly don’t dot my i’s with a little heart! 😀
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and why not? 😉
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Like you said, it’s a girl thing, and I’m fairly certain I don’t qualify! XD
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Um, could we possibly designate that as a “Girly” thing? Not all of us are btw; “Girly” girls, I mean…
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Fair point. At the least we want to include girly males who dot their i’s with hearts! 🙂
FWIW, I do try to only use the term “girl” when referring to very young female humans. (Water a bit muddied by grown women referring to themselves as “us girls,” but so it goes.)
You prompted a memory of a funny bit of (supposed) graffiti — written in three separate hands:
#1: I like grils!
#2: Don’t you mean girls?
#3: Hey, what about us grils??
There was probably a Kilroy on that same wall. 😀
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You’ve got me thinking now (so look out!; ) Thinking that this “marking of walls”, trees or whatever is primarily a Male thing (as in “mine can go higher than yours” type of marking? LOL! Couldn’t resist, sorry!
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Do women’s public restrooms contain graffiti? ❓
It seems it is primarily a male endeavor and that, even when women do it, the goals are somewhat different.
The topic fascinates me, also. Do women and men really have different mind sets (hence their under-representation in engineering and math and other “male” areas), or is it mainly a cultural conditioning. Some of both, I’ve always thought, but nature-nurture issues are extremely hard to investigate (let alone the socio-political aspects of claims about men and women being different).
http://www.elle.com/life-love/society-career/female-graffiti-movement
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I can vouch personally for Nurture over Nature on this topic as both my brother and I were taught, from a very young age, how to care and think for ourselves; to clean, maintain and repair pretty much everything – both inside and outside the home; to never feel that anything worth doing was beyond our capabilities and that no question, no matter how insignificant, is ever not worth an answer.
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Deb, your parents were very wise. I especially like ‘ to never feel that anything worth doing was beyond our capabilities and that no question, no matter how insignificant, is ever not worth an answer.’
Diana xo
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Unfortunately, it’s not the simple. If nature were part of the equation, being taught by others, being encouraged by others, in your genetic line isn’t surprising. It would be in their nature to nurture that point of view.
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They, my parents, always encouraged this way of THINKing and BEing in others and, I’d like to think that we, my bro and I, do as well. Encouraging others to think for themselves; to actually see what’s going on around them and strive for what they seek – to me, this is simply a state of mind and an idea worth passing along – Nuture AND Nature?
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Depending on what we’re talking about, yes. And even when not, nature can still apply in subtle ways. We’re human and act in human ways. (Keep in mind, too, that if Dawkins and such are right, it’s all nature!)
There’s a distinction to be made: The idea that anyone can reach for anything, and that anyone should be able to do anything within their grasp, is a core value in a civilized, egalitarian society. As such it’s a social idea — mostly nurture (but still affected by human nature). Sounds like we were both nurtured to support that idea.
The idea I referred to as tricky is whether, in general, men and women have different inclinations, and — if so — to what degree those differences are, in general, nature versus nurture.
For example, does Engineering tend to be a “boys club” structured to exclude women, or do males tend more to have the “engineering mindset” and thus gravitate to the profession in larger numbers.
The idea that men and women have significant differences of some kind is subject to debate, let alone what those differences might be.
Sorry for going on… Before we strain Lady Di’s patience too far, I can invite you over for a beverage of your bringing and longer chats:
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No worries my friends. If my place supports community and conversation, I am thrilled beyond words! ❤
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You are an AMAZING Hostess, my dear Diana; thank you for having this wonderfully welcoming place of thought-provoking discussion!: )
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Thanks for the invitation, but geez, BYOB on the first visit? (I’m betting you’ve got an interesting pint or two in the fridge that would do just fine… (As you may have construed, I’ve already done a little reconoitre, there’s just not enough time at present to give a proper response on your site – and I shall – but until then, à bientôt!; )
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Well, you’re right about the pints, and I’d be happy to share, but the interweb hasn’t quite advanced to the point where that’s possible. 😦
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Imaginary friends, imaginary pints… It’s a small step; )
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Ha ha! Love this. That is SO creative and I am sure they will keep this forever. 🙂
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It was fun Elizabeth. We shared a meal at a local Blues bar and caught up on what we’ve all been up to!
Diana xo
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The real gift is you and your big heart, humor and love of others Diane!
… Priceless!
❤
Val x
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Aww thank you Val…I feel all warm and fuzzy. ❤
Diana xo
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I always travel far AND feel at home when I visit here, Diana. Thank you!
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😀 My door is always open Ann!
Diana xo
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haha! Love the guy from behind. 😀 His butt is almost as big as his head. You’re so creative D.
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Thanks Kristi! Creative, yes. Artistic, I don’t know!
Diana xo
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Haha! You’re talking my language!
and you say you’re not creative! Get thee to my studio! 🙂
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Haha! It was fun to do Louise and it was fun to watch their amusement!
Diana xo
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