The older I get, the less interested I am in monetary gifts. Don’t get me wrong, I love having beautiful things, but they are no longer a top priority.
Over the years, I’ve felt conflicted with the commercialism of Christmas. If indeed it’s a celebration of Jesus birth, why focused mainly on exchanging gifts?
Exchanging gifts cannot be the only focus of Christmas; the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ must be the focus. Starting with my family, I’m gradually parting ways with old traditions. The minimalist in me searches for clutter-free gift-giving ideas that are thoughtful and purposeful.
A gift is an expression of love and appreciation. The cost shouldn’t be in monetary terms alone. Give thoughtful and purposeful gifts everyone can benefit from.
Here is a list of gifts I hope to give and will love to receive. They are gifts that keep on giving.
Encouragement – One of the easiest gift to give everyone around you: building each other up. Create a mutually encouraging community. Try it today, and you will reap the rewards.
Patience – We don’t have it all figured out, but with a little bit of patience we’ll get there. Someone needs your patience, be mindful and gentle with how you treat others.
Authenticity – Being around authentic people frees me to be more of who I truly am and vice versa. Imagine a community of genuine people? Let’s be real and more of who we truly are. Yes, we can!
Intimacy – With God and our spouse, with family and friends, makes a great marriage, relationships, and the world a better place for everyone to co-exist. We get back what we put in.
Kindness – Because life gets tough, nobody likes ugly and kindness is free and never hurt anyone. Start by being kinder to yourself and watch how this single gift alone changes your world.
Forgiveness – What better time to forgive and let go of the past. Meet someone halfway, extending an olive branch and spreading joy to the world. Forgiveness sets you free.
Courage – When I confront the obstacles in my life in small doses, I can offer support and encouragement to others when needed. You can’t give what you don’t have.
Honesty – We need truth spoken in love because we tend to see other’s fault and not our own. And until we remove the logs in our own eyes, we have no business pointing out the speck in another’s eye.
Anyone can buy you a gift, throw money at you, but only those who
truly care will invest time and take an interest in what matters to you.
Never take people’s time for granted.
Time – Granted, we can’t do life with everyone, let’s show up for those who have less than us: the orphans, homeless, those in prison, widows and less fortunate in our community. And make time for our loved one.
Better Communication – Lack of communication create negative vibes leaving rooms for assumptions, misunderstandings, and unresolved conflicts. Let’s do better.
Respect Other’s Boundaries – Respecting others boundaries is a sign of self-respect and how to maintain harmony in any relationship. Who doesn’t want that? Not me!
Vulnerability – Setting aside the mask we hide behind can simply save lives and connect us on a soul level. Not so easy to do because we are afraid of being judged and criticized. Vulnerability is courage in disguise, not weakness.
Self-Love – Give this one gift to yourself because your body, soul, and spirit depend on it. We were taught to always to love others, not how to love ourselves. Love yourself while loving others. Loving yourself will help guide you on how to love others well. It’s a win, win for all.
The best gifts are well thought-out from the heart, given freely without expectation.
Thank you for taking the time to read. May your gifts to yourself and others be fruitful and multiply.
