Once there was a young family with lots of kids and very few golden coins in the jar on the shelf. They did not live in a quaint little cottage in the forest, but they did have a creaking house with obnoxious floral carpeting in the kitchen.

The Dad (who was not a wood cutter) worked full-time and went to graduate school. The Mom bore a slight resemblance to Sleeping Beauty (except that she rarely got a nap), and was very busy chasing the kids, helping in their classrooms, and volunteering with the local women’s organization. Interestingly enough, they did not drive a whimsical horse-drawn carriage, but they did have a big old van that got about eight miles to the gallon … downhill ... with a tail wind.

The little family had many nice friends and relatives. These people continued to have birthdays, babies, and Christmas celebrations with alarming frequency. The dearth of gold coins did not lessen the family’s desire to give meaningful gifts to their loved ones, but their Fairy Godmother must have been hard-of-hearing, or her website was down.

The Mom thought and thought. She paced back and forth on the floral carpeting. Her feet got very tired… and then she got an idea.

She did not have a magic wand, but she did have a pen, and a sense of humor. She would become Aunt Matilda—faster than a speeding toddler, able to leap tall piles of laundry in a single bound, and ready to create a wedding gift composed of fuzzy slippers and a socket wrench set.

The transformation worked. Aunt Matilda wrote humorous instructions for everyday items. She attached clever labels to treats. She invented her own M&M® “prescriptions” for stressful ailments.

The nice friends and relatives received the gifts gladly. They read the instructions. They laughed and slapped their thighs. Sometimes they wouldn’t even eat the snacks because they were waiting for Grandma to see the labels when she came to visit.

The years went by and people kept saying, “You should sell these!” Mom would smile and nod. “Someday…” she thought.

The time came when the Dad graduated. He had 26 minutes of spare time each day. The family cheered so loudly that they woke up the Fairy Godmother, (who promptly slipped on some magic dust and sprained her ankle). But this did not stop her from casting the ever-popular and long-awaited 'Someday Spell.'

The magic was very effective. Dad happily drove the soccer carpool and helped with the dishes so Mom could design new gift baskets. The kids willingly tested various treats and voted on their favorites. The Fairy Godmother created a website and called it Smiley Gifts. Aunt Matilda was finally in business!

Now even if your own jar on the shelf is relatively empty, you can still purchase delightful gifts to make your friends and loved ones grin, giggle, and laugh out loud. (Just try to keep the noise down. Aunt Matilda is very busy working on her new booklet, A Mother’s Practical Guide to Sanity: 237 Essential Steps.)