Keep It Real!

I love Christmas – pretty much everything about it. The cooler weather, putting holiday decorations out, bundling up in warmer clothes, seeing family and friends and, of course, giving gifts.

Have you noticed, though, that for many people, giving Christmas presents has become an opportunity to impress other people. It’s a chance to show how successful and important they are because they can afford to give flashy, expensive gifts. Somehow it doesn’t seem in keeping with the spirit of the season.

I truly believe that the best gifts don’t come with a price tag – or if they did, none of us would be able to afford them. This year try giving things that have real meaning and value – instead of just placing an order on Amazon. How about some of these:

Give a family member a few hours of your time to do whatever they want (within reason)
Offer to babysit one evening for a stressed-out friend
Make a home-cooked meal for a loved one (I should specify here – only if you’re a good cook!)
Offer to pet/house sit for a loved one who is going out of town (as a pet owner, I can state that this is invaluable!)
Give your child an evening of playing board games together
Offer a co-worker a couple of hours of your expertise in putting their resume together

The possibilities are truly endless and most of us love well thought-out, personalized gifts. This is especially helpful if finances are tight. So leave the mall, back away from the computer and start going over your Christmas list from a different perspective. Be creative, get personal, have fun and show the special people in your life how much they mean to you!