Amidst all the holiday gift-giving, certain gifts stand, gifts of more than things but also of the heart. My son Hyrum’s gift to his sister Hannah was one such gift, a gift to always remember. Hyrum (14) conceived of the idea, drew the idea, and saved his money for the materials. Together we engineered the structure, bought the materials, and began construction. His gift: a miniature barn with hinged roof. This series of photographs shows each step of the construction process, culminating with Hannah (10) opening her gift on Christmas morning. I think of Hyrum’s gift as a miracle gift, for he gave part of himself along with the present.
The base frame, 18″ x 18″, allowing for a two-story central main building with an attached lean-to on each side.
Adding posts to support the main barn roof.
Completing the barn and lean-to frames.
The completed frame with the interior floor installed and the wall siding begun.
Wall siding and lean-to roofing completed with lathe. The roof frame sit, hinged, on the main barn structure.
The completed hinged roof frame atop the barn.
The completed barn, prior to painting.
Hyrum painting the barn.
And . . . the completed barn project.
Most importantly, Hannah on Christmas morning opening her special gift, inside which Hyrum placed a wrapped bucket of perfectly-sized farm animals.
Hannah’s Christmas barn became my favorite Christmas gift, too. I enjoyed working with my son for weeks to engineer, construct, paint, and wrap the barn. I witnessed the joy on my daughter’s face (and on Hyrum’s face) as Hannah opened her special gift.
Rabbit Lane 
A gift to be remembered for a long time!
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The gift of giving…there is nothing like it.
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It was special to be a part of this giving and receiving between siblings. Happy New Year to you!
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A wonderful gift! Hannah seems very pleased with her barn. I’m sure that you will remember this gift for years to come.
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I will! I’m proud of my teenage son for caring enough about his little sister to want to make a special gift for her, and for putting so much of himself into it.
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Also, happy new year! 🙂
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Happy New Year to you, too! Happy listing! I’ll look forward to your new lists. I was thinking of something fun, like, 10 Healthy Comfort Foods, or, 7 Ways To Be Nice Even When You Don’t Want To! Actually, I’m just kidding; you don’t need my help with your awesome lists. Have a great year!
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I like both of those ideas – you may see one appear on my blog very soon.. with credit to you, of course! 🙂
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Have fun with it! (And no credit is necessary–you’re doing all the work!)
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Joy. Thank you for sharing this.
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