101 Ideas for Braver Living Gift Giving
I don’t like December.
I feel terrible admitting it.
But for so many years (decades, really) Try-Harder Living overshadowed Christ and family and joy.
Long before Pinterest, Perfectionism barked orders about the kind of tree we had to have (at least 7′ tall, freshly cut). All the cookies I had to bake (from scratch; no boxed mixes allowed.) All the events we had to attend (knee-jerk “yes” to all invitations.)
I still cringe at all the time, energy, and money the People-Pleasing bully used to con me into spending on gifts:
- You don’t want anyone to be disappointed in you, now, do you?
- Is that the perfect gift or should you keep looking?
- What if you forget someone?
- Don’t you want to show your family how much you love them?
On top of these “normal” Try-Harder Living holiday pressures, I spent ten years with the added burden of hitting my sales goals for the direct sales company I belonged to. December was my do-or-die month for earning the yearly incentive trip. (Of course, according to Performancism, failing to qualify for the trip was a non-option.)
And, as a teacher, I had end-of-quarter grades to complete, plus school Christmas programs and parties to coordinate and attend. (Thanks to Procrastination, I was usually waaaaay behind on my grading, causing me to pull all-nighters and even take papers and a red pen to family gatherings.)
So, it’s not that I dislike December.
I regret December. So many Decembers, and so much regret.
I don’t know what your December regrets may be.
But if you’re feeling the weight of Try-Harder Living, too, let’s start by receiving the gift we so desperately need:
Grace.
Forgiveness for the past.
A fresh start for today, for this December.
Permission to do what we can, when we can.
And to call it “enough.”
My “Top 10 Priceless Gifts that Don’t Cost a Dime for a _____ Personality” Series
- … for a Melancholy / Analytic Personality
- … for a Phlegmatic / Amiable Personality
- … for a Choleric / Driving Personality
- … for a Sanguine / Expressive Personality
“8 Non-Stuff Gifts Your Friends and Family Will Love“
25 Life-Improving Christmas Gifts for Under $10
35 Gifts Your Children Will Never Forget
Zen Habits Holiday Gift Guide
Click HERE to see the whole series!
One of my happiest memories is when my son, at about 8 yrs old, was standing at my bedside to wake me up Christmas morning wearing his red robe, a Santa hat, and a beard he had made (w/o my knowing) out of cotton balls, going HO HO HO. BEST Christmas memory!
My favorite Christmas memory is when my husband, dogs and I drove through a blizzard to show up at my parents home on Christmas eve. The best part of this Christmas was the fact that my parents had no idea we were coming. The look on my mom’s face when we walked in was priceless. She passed away 2 years ago after a VERY short battle with cancer. I am so glad that we have made it a priority to spend time with my folks.
We found out that we were expecting our first baby on December 18th. To tell our parents, we got pictures done with baby shoes and gave them to them as a gift. They were so surprised and excited! It was a wonderful memory.
Two favourites come to mind. The first would be the year that we ended up snowed in at my Grandma’s house on Christmas Eve. We’d nearly lost her in a terrible car accident that November, so being with her on Christmas Day — even without all the presents and stuff — was the best gift ever. The other is the year that I helped my mom to replace my dad’s lost wedding ring. He’d lost it at work when I was little, but they couldn’t afford to replace it. I knew how much my dad wanted another one, so when I was able to help I convinced my mom to get him a new one. The look on his face was priceless.
I battled breast cancer in 2008 and got the “all clear” message from my doctor on Dec. 16, 2008. That Christmas was the best ever!
The first Christmas we were married…. so broke but it didn’t matter.
One Christmas when my twin girls were preschool age, we gave them some of Tinkerbelle’s fairy dust (talcum powder). One of the girls had me put my hand on her head before she used her fairy dust so that she wouldn’t float away.
When my son, who has a charming childlikenss, was around 12 years old, I walked out of my bedroom on Christmas morning to find him perched on the bar surrounding our stairwell quivering with excitement over it being Christmas morning.
Oh my goodness! There are so many amazing memories of our Christmases growing up. One that I particularly remember was a time that we had Chinese Christmas (less than $10) which had become a tradition after all of us grandkids had grown up and grandmother had gotten older, and we just couldn’t afford to buy everyone a gift anymore (we started drawing names – so much easier). Anyway, my uncle who is always the ‘Scrooge’ of the bunch chose my gift. It was a classic! I had stuffed a pair of pantyhose full of wadded up newspaper and of course 10 lottery tickets. It was so much fun to watch him laugh as he pulled out wad after wad of paper! All we needed was a good laugh to lighten him up for the day. We also used to play board games after we opened presents every year. So much fun!
Thank you for making me think about some of my Christmas memories.
Times loved by all!
Blessings,
KK
I always loved going to my grandma’s on Christmas morning seeing what she had made for all the cousins. One year we all got PJ’s.