Category: Essays

The best we can give someone, anyone, is ourselves, our time, our effort, and our company. We feel better when we give more of ourselves; we grow. We grow, and we influence growth in others.

With that being said I recommend that this holiday season we give more of ourselves to those we love.  Spend time with family and friends that we have not given much attention to in quite some time. Re-secure relationships that have gotten stale due to separation perhaps.

Furthermore, we should be giving more of our time and effort to those less fortunate than us. The poor, the hungry, the homeless, the neglected, the addicted, the disabled. THIS is what the spirit of the Holidays is really all about anyway, Isn’t it? Reaching out and making sure everyone has more joy, more hope, and maybe even a new beginning.

Likelihood is, there is a local  soup kitchen, coat drive, food drive, or some other  volunteer program of a similar variety in our community. I urge that we reach out to these and ask how we can help.  Lets not merely settle for making a donation of money or stuff, but instead donate our time and effort. This is how we make a difference. Not only in others, but in ourselves.

We should all be doing our part to make the world a kinder, better place.

This holiday season I challenge you to make a cheerful effort for gift giving, by gifting smart and from the heart:

• Give more of yourself and less material possessions.
• Gift in experiences.
• Avoid the corporate chains and online retailers (Amazon, Ebay, and such), and support local businesses. The best effort we can do is to support our community.
• Take calculated chances with the gifts you give. There is no fun or growth in staying safe. Mom doesn’t need another pair of socks,  just like the ones you got her last year. And if they don’t like your gift, it was worth a shot; they’re just grateful for the thought and effort anyway.
• Give a playful gift. One that all parties can enjoy right there during the holiday party.
• Gift something absurd, and completely ridiculous just for a laugh. How’s THAT for an experience?
• Don’t just make the family gathering an experience, make the gift shopping an experience too. Go into strange “mom and pops” stores you would normally never go into, with absolutely no plan of purchase at all. You might be surprised at what might catch your eye. This is where the “calculated risk” will likely come into play.

Make holiday shopping fun again, and don’t take it too seriously. Make it playful. This is a time for joy, and we don’t have to prove anything.

For most of us Thanksgiving Day is a time for joy as we spend time with our families. A time that we express gratitude and joy as we laugh, eat, drink, …… and maybe even dance. This is absolutely wonderful. But this is only half of what it’s all about. This is the “Thanks” part of “Thanksgiving”.

There are some of us that find Thanksgiving to be a very stressful, or depressing time of year. There are some of us that don’t have families, homes, or means to get a get a decent meal. There are some of us that have broken homes. When Thanksgiving Season comes around, for these people it, only serves to remind them of what others have that they do not. It only serves to remind them how alone, how lonely they are.

Let’s remember this, going into the holiday season (not just Thanksgiving), and maybe give a little of ourselves, our time, to those not as fortunate as we are. Beyond basic kindness and courtesy, let’s extend a helping hand and offer care to those who need it. This is the “giving” part. Because we are ALL brothers and sisters. We are all one family in the end.

Extend your table.