What a lovely memory!

Stoner parents are the best!

My imaginary hamster lived under my bed. My grandparents wanted to buy me a plushie, my parents thought that would destroy my fantasy. They had already bought it, so I got it after no longer having that imaginary pet.

And still find that glitter...

I used to throw coins in the foot wells of my car. I also used to pay my nephew $5 to clean my car. He would exclaim about "all the money" and I would say, well you find it you keep it. He loved cleaning my car, win win.

It is not about money. It is realising that another human being had been thinking of us and wanted to make us happy and smiling. Still works for me. Just blow some amazing big soap bubbles and I am 5 years old again.

Awww that’s adorable 🥰

That last line! So very true.

I grew up on the East Coast. We ice skated on a local lake every winter, but one year, for some reason, we couldn't. In our neighborhood, we had a miniscule backyard. It wasn't much bigger than my bedroom. Smallest yard. So my mom hosed down our backyard every night for a week (without telling us). Come Saturday morning about 11a/12p, my mom had all our neighborhood friends in that yard skating. 2 or 3 other moms came to help wrangle kids, make hot chocolate on the tiny porch, whatever helped. One of the BEST memories ever!

Never have I gone from giggling to sad so quickly!

Aw! Sweet!

That's a great way to budget for any gifts!

My dad would do something similar. Whenever he had an office meeting or seminar, everyone would usually be provided with a box of snacks. He would always bring his home for me and my siblings.

My grandma and I did this. I wish I would have saved those notes now. But the memory is still sweet.

I love this!

My mum would make up these creatures called "dream fairies" to get me to sleep, and she went all-out, creating all this made-up lore!

That's cool.

Nice.

Mom was a single parent of 3 kids. We never, and I mean NEVER, went out to eat during that time. But once a month, she'd get a 6pk of Coke and a large pizza from the only pizza in town. On that one night we were allowed to sit 9n the floor in front of our single TV and eat while watching something together (back when there were only 3 regular channels & 3 UHF channels. Never realized how poor we actually were until we moved states when I was 14.

Comfort and safety. A wonderful thing for a child.

Did this with my kids on their way to school. We're all much older now, but still play a mean game of I Spy.

I like the gesture. Not sure I want soap scented lunch.

Shel Silverstein for the win!

A church with a bar? Cool! If you pass out drunk on Saturday night, at least you will be in time for services on Sunday.

My Pop felt the same way about us kids. He told us Santa would bring us a tree with our presents. For years afterward, we waited until Christmas Eve to put up a tree. We also left beer and pretzels because “Santa gets tired of milk and cookies everywhere else.” 😂

Last year I began creating decorations with my 2 yo (painted cardboard cut in shapes, heart, christmas tree, etc. and bows), and we offered some of them to his grands-parents and his nanny. We will do the same every year as a new tradition. I also found tenths of vintage ornaments for only 2€ in goodwill that look exactly the same as the ones we had when I was a child.

I hope OP learned that there are better forms of enchantment than the five finger discount!