“To Gift or not To Gift,” that is the question that plagues so many of us as
we near the holiday season. I want to honor people and celebrate those
special occasions and still stay true to the ideals I hold dear. Sometimes I feel
those ideals are compromised when I buy something for someone in an act of
last minute pressure shopping.
So to keep my blood pressure from going up and my bank account from going
down, I have come to think of gift giving from a different point of view. I
always keep in mind the words of a graduation speech I heard some years ago, which
keeps me focused on what is important and prevents me from running to the
mall for that last minute gift. In essence the message was, “We all have too
much stuff and it’s cluttering up not only our homes, but our minds and hearts.”
We spend so much of our lives wanting and obtaining stuff, and the rest of
the time worrying about it. We buy it, store it, clean it, collect it, move
it, dust it, and protect it. We always seem to want and accumulate more,
needing bigger and bigger spaces just to store our “stuff.” We have placed such
significance on having things that we lose sight of what is really important to
us. Our stuff just seems to be adding to the clutter and chaos of our lives
while at the same time we feel we are losing that precious commodity, “time.”
So here we are in a situation of having too much stuff and too little time.
Over and over again, I hear friends and family bemoaning the fact that they
don’t have enough time. Time is becoming more valuable than money. So my
holiday ritual is coming up with ways to give the gift of time, which I believe is
truly a gift from the heart.
The possibilities are endless. Just let your creative juices flow! Here are
a few examples:
* Gift that someone special with your time, such as: Watching their
children for a night or even a weekend; this is such a great gift to all of those who
are parents. Make and deliver a home-cooked meal, freeing people up for an
evening. Clean someone’s home, attic, or basement. Pet sit. Wash windows,
weed a garden, paint, or help on a building project, tune up a car -- the sky’s
the limit here. If you can’t decide what would be most helpful, give out a
blank coupon good for “X” amount of labor hours and let them choose how to use
it.
* Another way to give of yourself is time spent doing something with a
friend, relative, or co-worker. You make the plans and preparations and the
person just needs to show up! Give a picnic complete with food, a canoe ride, a
hike in the country. Take them to a concert, movie, play, or sporting activity.
Think about that special person and what activities they enjoy doing, but
might not do for themselves.
* Taking the time to make something for someone is another way of letting
that person know how much they mean to you. For example, give a beautiful jar
of home-preserved tomatoes, salsa, pickles or jam from your garden. Or
perhaps a lovely hand-knit or sewn item. Edible items like breads or baked goods,
hand-built, carved or crafted items, hand-made paper for corresponding, or
bouquets of fresh flowers from your garden. Your creative talents can be your
guide here.
* Giving the gift of a class or lessons of all kinds is great for the
person who may not do this for themselves. Music, art, dance, yoga, sculpture,
writing, kayaking, etc. The list is endless here and might involve your own
talent or that of others in your own community.
* Sharing the abundance of what we have with those less fortunate,
strengthening our communities or helping to fund the ideals we believe in, is another
wonderful way to gift from the heart. There are so many ways to accomplish
this simply by finding out what is near and dear to the heart of the person
receiving the gift and giving to that cause in their name. This can be on a
local, national, or international level. Ideas like giving to a local food pantry
or shelter, Habitat for Humanity, Heifer International, and other
organizations helping to break the cycle of poverty. Plant a tree, or give a gift
subscription to a CSA farm (Community Supported Agriculture).
There are so many ways to show people how much we care about them. When we
think outside the gift box and let our creative imaginations take hold, we can
feel good about our choices by giving others gifts from our hearts and hands.
Peace to All.
(Sandi McArthur is the Education/Outreach coordinator for Oryana Natural
Foods Market in Traverse City, Michigan.)
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