Category: holidays

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Little girls do love their dolls. They love to play and dress them and take them places, as if they really were their mommies.

I have a daughter that first began her love affair, with a certain doll, when she was only 18 months old. The relationship was a bit rocky at first as my little mommy pulled her baby’s hair and competed with the doll for bottle and binky use. Yet as the weeks passed the love my baby had for her baby grew to complete devotion.

She fondly named the baby doll Bah-Bah-Toe (don’t ask, I don’t know) and they have been inseparable now for several years. The cementing moments of the relationship occurred when Bah-Bah-Toe was given her own dollhouse. At first this was a humble dwelling that consisted of nothing more than a few cardboard boxes stacked and taped together.

At Christmas time that year, when my daughter was 2, the idea of getting her a brand new doll was down right blasphemous. Bah-Bah-Toe reigns supreme. One evening as my husband and I observed our little mommy lovingly reciting a story to her precious baby and tenderly tucking her into one of those cardboard rooms it struck us: Bah-Bah-Toe needs a real house.

Tender memories of Christmas joys are only enhanced when the gifts mean a little more. As each of us roam through the golden toned corridors of our Christmases past we can select a few cherished moments and gifts that shine a little brighter than others. In homage to these meaningful Christmases of our youth new parents embark on a frenzied journey each year to buy those toys that will in turn shine brightly in the adulthood memories of their new babies.

Nostalgia is priceless

There is no way to put a price value on these holiday gifts. The gift itself may have cost a small amount, but the love felt with its giving and the memories that span a life time are without price. It will be the same for your children. It may not always be possible to gage what gift will be the one to engender such fond memories.

Parents are surprised to find their babies and toddlers paying much more attention to the trinkets in their stockings than the elaborate gifts beneath the tree. For a child there is no mystery - it is not the price tag they count, but the imagination, time and love that is put into the gift itself.

Make it personal

Northern Cities on the Costa Blanca Map

The next time you want to have a holiday in Spain open a map of the Costa Blanca. The Mediterranean Region is home to many remarkable choices. Here is a brief list of the cities from North to South that you’ll definitely want to visit.

A northerly city on the Costa Blanca map is Denia. This city is gorgeous with its view of the mountains and its seascape. There are numerous water sports with splendid beaches. The city of Denia is not strictly a vacation destination. Nonetheless, you’ll get a taste of authentic Spanish life while you holiday here. Stay a while and discover attractions like the Castle of Denia, the Toy Museum and go shopping at the Calle de Marques de Campo.

With four kilometers of coastline that is filled with quiet beaches and coves, Denia offers a fully secluded seaside, accessible only by climbing over small cliffs. Here is rich in Spanish history with old churches, hospitals, and homes of past nobility to view. When staying here, have a taste of octopus stew, a specialty of the area. That together with the numerous rice dishes and local wines will satisfy your culinary needs.