Last week's questions was, "What is ONE thing you can do this week to get you in the holiday spirit?" I said I was going to watch Christmas movies with my daughter. I did watch a few Christmas movies and my family joined me periodically. It did help put me in the holiday spirit. I hope you had fun with whatever you planned to do and that you are enjoying the pre-Christmas season.
In this busy lead-up to Christmas, we are often focussed on shopping for presents and preparing food for celebrations. Christmas is a season of giving. We all know the adage,"it is better to give than it is to receive." It can be so gratifying to give someone a gift that you have put a lot of thought and effort into. Besides nice presents and meals, what is that you would really like to give to the people you care about? This week's question is, "What is ONE Thing that you want to give this holiday season?"
Some ideas might include, giving the gift of your time by helping someone with their shopping or holiday preparations, it might be donating money or time to a charity, it might be to create a lovely celebration for your family. It could be to give a simple gift of appreciation or it could be kind words to people working hard in customer service during the holidays. It could be a combination of all these things.
What I would love to give to the people I care about this holiday season, is my presence. I want to be able to give each person my full attention when I am with them. I don't want to get preoccupied with the meal I am making or having my home look perfect for the holidays if it takes me away from connecting with the people that I am doing those things for. I am going to remind myself of that as I shop, wrap, donate, decorate, celebrate, eat, drink and visit throughout the holidays. Whatever I am doing, I want to be present for the people I am with. I want to give them the gift of my attention, curiosity about what is happening in their lives and truly listen to them, not just with my ears, but with my heart too.
What will you give this holiday season? I would love to hear your ideas. Please share anything you would like in the comments below, or in our Weekly ONE Thing Facebook Group!
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