into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then t

When I was a child, each time someone in the family would announce an upcoming birth, my aunt would eagerly begin her baby gift. She loved babies, loved to give gifts, and this was her tradition, kept alive all the years of her life. The putting-together of the baby gift would last the entire time of the pregnancy, and the gift itself would be ready, well, when the baby was ready to join the world.

To start, she would pick up some kind of large, inexpensive container. A laundry basket worked nicely, as did a wash tub or tall, plastic hamper. Once purchased, she would tuck it into the corner of her bedroom, where it would serve as repository for the gifts she would buy.

The gifts were always simple. Whenever she'd go to store, whether it was the grocery store, a discount department store, or the local dollar store, she'd pick up something for the bin. On one trip, she'd pick up a bottle of baby lotion or baby powder. On the next trip, it might be a colorful rattle, a teething ring, or a juice cup. Few of the purchases were expensive, although they did, of course, add up over the months.

Usually, by the time the baby was born, the container would be overflowing with gifts. My aunt would lovingly wrap each small purchase in tissue paper and decorate the container itself in festive ribbons. Only then was the gift ready to give.

The charm of the present my aunt gave wasn't in any of the individual items. They were standard fare, things that could be picked up anywhere. Rather, what meant so much to the recipients of these particular gifts existed in the sum of their parts. Each purchase represented a thought, held constant over the last few months, the thought of mother and baby. My aunt, in putting together her gift, had kept them in her thoughts each week, on every shopping trip, with each little item tossed into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then th

e container. A laundry basket worked nicely, as did a wash tub or tall, plastic hamper. Once purchased, she would tuck it into the corner of her bedroom, where it would serve as repository for the gifts she would buy.

The gifts were always simple. Whenever she'd go to store, whether it was the grocery store, a discount department store, or the local dollar store, she'd pick up something for the bin. On one trip, she'd pick up a bottle of baby lotion or baby powder. On the next trip, it might be a colorful rattle, a teething ring, or a juice cup. Few of the purchases were expensive, although they did, of course, add up over the months.

Usually, by the time the baby was born, the container would be overflowing with gifts. My aunt would lovingly wrap each small purchase in tissue paper and decorate the container itself in festive ribbons. Only then was the gift ready to give.

The charm of the present my aunt gave wasn't in any of the individual items. They were standard fare, things that could be picked up anywhere. Rather, what meant so much to the recipients of these particular gifts existed in the sum of their parts. Each purchase represented a thought, held constant over the last few months, the thought of mother and baby. My aunt, in putting together her gift, had kept them in her thoughts each week, on every shopping trip, with each little item tossed into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then t

by powder. On the next trip, it might be a colorful rattle, a teething ring, or a juice cup. Few of the purchases were expensive, although they did, of course, add up over the months.

Usually, by the time the baby was born, the container would be overflowing with gifts. My aunt would lovingly wrap each small purchase in tissue paper and decorate the container itself in festive ribbons. Only then was the gift ready to give.

The charm of the present my aunt gave wasn't in any of the individual items. They were standard fare, things that could be picked up anywhere. Rather, what meant so much to the recipients of these particular gifts existed in the sum of their parts. Each purchase represented a thought, held constant over the last few months, the thought of mother and baby. My aunt, in putting together her gift, had kept them in her thoughts each week, on every shopping trip, with each little item tossed into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then t

y aunt gave wasn't in any of the individual items. They were standard fare, things that could be picked up anywhere. Rather, what meant so much to the recipients of these particular gifts existed in the sum of their parts. Each purchase represented a thought, held constant over the last few months, the thought of mother and baby. My aunt, in putting together her gift, had kept them in her thoughts each week, on every shopping trip, with each little item tossed into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then t

into the basket. It was, in essence, a gift created of love.

A nine-month gift such as this is a wonderful way to celebrate the birth of a baby into the family. A dollar or two spent on each and every shopping trip is easily absorbed into the family budget and it is money well-spent.

With a little creativity, nine-month gifts also work well for weddings, housewarmings, and graduations. If gift giving is ultimately about showing that you care, then this is truly the ultimate gift. It's a wonderful way to show a new mother that she has, indeed, been in your thoughts.