Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful (Paperback)

by Virginia Brucker (Author)
Key Phrases: gifts from the heart, tacky craft glue, cup icing sugar, Virginia Brucker, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Are you overwhelmed by the frantic commercialism of our modern Christmas? Do you long for a more meaningful celebration? Gifts from the Heart contains hundreds of simple ideas that will help you create a warmer, more loving celebration focused on sharing and giving. Parents, grandparents, early childhood educators, teachers, and youth group leaders will love the imaginative ideas in this book. Gifts from the Heart is filled with:

• Time-saving tips for busy families
• Delightful kid-tested craft projects
• Heartwarming ideas for family traditions and capturing memories
• Fun-filled activities that help grandparents connect with their grandchildren
• Terrific suggestions for gifts that develop imagination, creativity, and literacy
• Practical ideas for helping our planet and our animal friends
• Delicious tried-and-true recipes for cooks of all ages
• Presentation tips and fabulous recipes for gifts from the kitchen
• Party and potluck tips and recipes
• Easy-to-do volunteer activities that make a difference to others during the holidays
• Tips for divorced parents and blended families
• Meaningful ways to help friends and family struggling with illness or loss at Christmas

A primary teacher for more than twenty-five years, Virginia Brucker is the recipient of the National Council of the Cancer Society's Community Champion Award for her support of cancer research. She lives and works in beautiful Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island.

About the Author
Virginia Brucker has been a primary school teacher for more than 20 years. She lives in Nanoose Bay, BC.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Insomniac Press (October 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897178301
• ISBN-13: 978-1897178300
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #689,848 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A number of delicious holiday-themed recipes pepper this welcome antidote to the rampant commercialization of Christmas., March 4, 2008

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Written by teacher Virginia Brucker, Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways To Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful lives up to its title by offering ways to celebrate the Christmas holiday centered upon sharing, giving, and community rather than simple consumerism. Chapters cover volunteering as a family, tips for getting organized and freeing up time, ways to reach out to friends and loved ones suffering from loss during the holidays, kid-tested craft projects, ways to celebrate with books and share the gift of literacy, and much more. A number of delicious holiday-themed recipes pepper this welcome antidote to the rampant commercialization of Christmas.

5.0 out of 5 stars Bring back holidays with heart, October 24, 2007

By	A. Medea - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Does it feel like the only meaningful holiday experience you have with your kids involves sitting in front of a TV? Do you want something more for your family? Gifts from the Heart will show you how.

This wonderful book has long been a seasonal best-seller in Canada, where Ms. Brucker first created it as a fund-raiser to fight cancer. This book shows you how to take back the Christmas season. It features suggestions for volunteering as a family, tips to offset the "gimmies," and simple, but meaningful traditions and crafts. It's also a great book for families pulling together in the face of misfortune, like a serious illness.

This book can help your family create memories worth having and will help you believe in the holidays again. It's a book with a tremendous heart.

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a gift from the heart!, October 10, 2007

By	Cheryl F. Coon "author, Books to Grow With: ... (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a lovely book, just right for the season! This gentle, charming book reminds us of what the meaning of the holidays really is -- while providing hours of fun activities and recipes. Written by a teacher who knows what appeals to kids and families, it's the one book you need to share with your children and grandchildren the true meaning of Christmas.