It is October and last night I sat down to mentally prepare myself for the run up to Christmas (breathe, breathe, breathe). It started me thinking about what I did for presents last year and how chuffed I was with this gift that I made for my significant other (too clinical?) - a series of maps that detail exactly where you had relationship milestones.
I am pretty sure I spied it on Pinterest but I am having no luck tracking it down. The original idea had actual maps so one month out from Christmas I ordered the maps from an online store. You could choose any particular locations to immortalise. I decided to do Brisbane for where we met, London for where we first lived together and Adelaide for where we were married. I had my IKEA photoframe which allowed space for the three maps. I picked one that could stand as well as attach to the wall - always handy when you are a renter. So it was just a matter of waiting for the maps to arrive.
And so I waited. And waited. Until it was two days out from Christmas and not a map to be seen! I was not ready to give up on this idea. So I decided to be brave and trace them using maps I could find online and in our car atlas. An unexpected bonus of the locations I had chosen were that they all had winding rivers as a feature. My handtraced maps didn't include all of the major landmarks, just enough for my husband (too formal?) and I to recognise each location.
My lover (too intimate?) was thrilled with his Christmas present and says it is the most thoughtful gift I have given him. And I agree - a lot of thought went into overcoming the challenges!
And wouldn't you know it, the maps turned up two days after Christmas.
-Amanda
