Have you heard of the book, The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell? It is in my top ten books to read to my girls. A book about a little cat who wants to get his best friend a really great gift but his bff has everything. So he decides to get him nothing. He thinks “nothing” is something from what people say (there’s nothing on tv, there’s nothing at the department store) so you see him search around town looking for “nothing”. It’s a short and sweet book. The little cat learns a big lesson. The best gift of all, isn’t material things but just being together with the people you care about. A great lesson in gratitude. I should note that children younger than age 6 or 7 have a hard time grasping the concept of gratitude so be patient if they don’t get it and keep teaching/modeling the trait.
I was on Amazon a few weeks ago and I came across an actual gift of NOTHING! Ha ha! What a funny gift to get someone who says they want “nothing” for the holidays! If you are on amazon for this gift of nothing, go ahead and throw Patrick McDonnell’s book in your cart as well. You will be happy you did.
