Part 3 of 5—Creating a Meaningful Holiday Season

Begin Thoughtful Gift-Giving

“As Sally sat in exhaustion looking over all the Christmas presents she bought in a frenzy and still had to wrap, she felt disconnected from the feelings of connection, joy, and peace she longed for. She vowed she would put effort into heartfelt, meaningful gifts the next year.”

Discussion:
Meaningful gifts require thoughtfulness and time. The first step begins with carving out time: reduce stress, ease up on housework and cooking, and reduce the volume of gifts you are dealing with. The second step is planning ahead. Ideally pay attention to what loved ones and friends mention throughout the year. Or sit down and think about the individual and brainstorm what might be a really good gift for them. Include your kids in the planning and thought process.

Think about giving gifts that foster family interactions such as games (try Apples to Apples), a box of dress-up clothes, a kid’s cookbook, or a tool box. My kids spent more time with the dress-up box than any other toy they ever owned—from playing house in preschool to shooting movies in high school.

Bond as a family by making gifts. Make a card or a calendar. For extended family, paste a collage of favorite family photos of the year onto an 11” x 17” paper and laminate it for placemats. Make goodie baskets with cut-out cookies, home-made mustard, and banana bread. (Chip’s Hot Sweet Mustard: Blend 1 cup vinegar, 1 cup sugar, 2 oz dry mustard, and 6 eggs then cook over low heat to desired thickness. Put in small glass jars saved over the year. It will be a hit.)

Host a party to make gingerbread houses or have a cookie exchange.

Kids can give gifts of time—free car wash, clean out the frig, do the dishes, clean out a junk drawer or two. Parents can do this too … free room clean, miniature golf date, “stay-up-one-hour-later-than-usual” certificates.

Wrap presents with brown shopping bags—decorated by the kids—or use left-over wallpaper, abandoned posters, your kid’s artwork, old maps, Sunday comics, etc.

Get Holiday Gifts Kids Can Make at $3.95 for more ideas at http://www.simpleliving.net/main/item.asp?itemid=664

No matter what you end up doing or not doing, give yourself kudos for being mindful and thoughtful this year.

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If I knew then what I know now,
I would have carved out time spread over the year for homemade gift-making.
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With admiration for all you do,

Dr. Kathy

Kathy Masarie, MD
Pediatrician, Parent, and Life Coach
Author of the Parenting Guides Raising Our Daughters and Raising Our Sons

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