Giving From the Heart

The holidays should be a time of joy and spending time with people you love. Unfortunately, this time of year can also leave us feeling “under-joyed” when it comes to buying gifts. What do people really need and want? What kinds of expectations have we placed on ourselves for how we will express our love to others through gifts?

I have a big family and to be honest there have been plenty of times I have felt overwhelmed at the thought of buying gifts for everyone. A couple years back when I was struggling financially, I decided to create a family photo book and gave that instead of expensive gifts. Everyone loved it and it has since become a Christmas tradition for our family. Each year I look back over the year of photos taken (it’s a lot!) and put together our family album.

Remember back in kindergarten when you made your mom a macaroni necklace, and she truly did love it, and may even still have it? The joy that comes from receiving a gift from the heart is genuine, and not reserved only for children. The love you express through giving a gift does not have to have a hefty price tag, rather one that shows your time and thought will have the greatest impact. Yes, I know we learned this when we were 5, but it’s easy to forget.

Here are some ideas to get you going:

 Hand made ornaments/decorations
 Photo books
 Donate in someone's name
 Time together
 Hand-chosen songs on CD
 Bake something yummy!
 Video montage
 A service that you provide like organizing, cleaning, shopping, etc.
 Personalize something like a wall plaque or frame

And for those of you with kids, it seems to be proven fact that children have more fun playing with the box the toy came in then the toy itself. A large cardboard box and markers goes a long way!

Enjoy this time of year and remember to give from the heart. It’s the thought that counts!

Merry Christmas!

Keri

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