The Gift Of You

This time of year is crazy, when we brag about all the things we are grateful for and then rush around, gathering up stuff that people may be grateful for. It is silly if you think about it. My friend is so stressed about what she got each person. All I hear is frustration and hesitation, hoping these people will be happy with her choices. Now several of these people will, of course, be overjoyed by the sentiment of the gift. But there are a few who won’t be thankful. She knows it, because it is the same way every year.

Why stress over whether someone is going to be appreciative or not? I never could understand that. But I DO understand the idea of giving. And giving is something that makes our lives ever more joyful. We can even choose to give something when there is no reason.

I do not want to talk about just giving a Christmas or birthday gift though. I want to discuss something more meaningful than the Christmas gift that should not exceed a certain amount of money but needs to be interesting enough to keep someone’s attention for more than two minutes.

Let’s talk about The Gift of YOU!

You are priceless. And you have talents beyond measure. You are able to evoke a quick, spontaneous smile on someone’s face with a simple kind statement. Normally, we decide ahead of time what to DO for others based on available money or time. This year, I took Christmas cards that were pre-made and did something special. I threw away the backs and tore the pictures on the front, giving them a scrapbook effect. Then I cut out stars from glitter paper to trim the trees that were on the cards I had just torn apart. I used a lighter and singed the edges of the cards. It took about ten minutes longer for each card. These cards went to co-workers…not even family. But these were not just cards. They were gifts of me. Some will think nothing of it, but others will be grateful, saying, “Oh, that took a little bit of time.”

Maybe in this joyous season and always, stress should be lessened by giving YOU instead of expensive gifts to those who already have so much. Of course, there are people who need certain things more costly than the average ten dollar sentiment. I am not condoning being a ‘Scrooge’ , but I think maybe the gift of YOU is more valuable.

Remember Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer? In the cartoon, the snowman  sings, “Silver and gold, silver and gold. Everyone wishes for Silver and Gold. How do you measure its worth?” Sometimes the greatest gift you can give is one that cannot be returned in monetary value. Your love, time and talent are more priceless than silver and gold. And how do you measure YOUR WORTH?