Given that we had just passed the Season of Gratitude and were headed into the Season of Giving, I set out on an adventure to find what other gifts (other than the ones wrapped in fancy paper under a tree) we might be able to offer to those we love and care about deeply.
Couples do things for each other, they get fancy presents, spend time researching what the new thing is that made it to the top-10-gifts of the year.
I am a big proponent of things that don’t come all prettied up with a bow on top that happen with more frequency rather than one big shiny something.
So over the course of the month of December, on my Business FacebookPage (link) I collected and came up with the list that I am presenting to you below.
If you are ever in need of an idea for a gift, be it the middle of the Holiday Season or not, this should give you an idea or two.
Here you go. And, you’re welcome 🙂
What would yours have looked like?
Day 1 – Dec 1: The gift of breakfast in bed.
Make it something you know they love.
Day 2: The gift of a kind word.
From a stranger – or – from your spouse – Which one has more weight?
I bet you can figure that one out in no time.
Day 3: The gift of a lovely new friend all because you shoveled a driveway together.
A stranger is only a stranger until you know their name.
Day 4: The simple gift of a bed made in the morning.
Particularly when done by a certain [single digit]-year old without having to ask.
Day 5: The gift of new & beautiful beginnings (who said you can’t learn how to make something new at our age?) and the gift of a smile on the face of a child that may or may not have partially resulted from said new beginning…
Day 6: The gift of a Christmas Market tradition (from far-away homeland) brought to your table.
Right here.
Right now.
Day 6: The gift of a true weekend.
Turning my laptop on for the first time at 9pm on Sunday night since shutting it off at the office on Friday at four.
Day 7: The gift of a memory – building (over & over again) a tower of human bodies on the couch in our living room, including the little giggly ones bursting into laughter as they were either pretending to sleep, falling off the cliff or making a slide.
Laughing so hard, all of our tummies hurt after half an hour – so much so we had to stop.
Day 8: The gift of silence & a quiet morning.
Because our children (or anybody that regularly sleeps in our household for that matter) do not generally wake up before I wake them up at 7:30 or 8am.
I know.
Day 8: The gift of a spontaneous movie night with little friends topped off with the gift of a special treat from a faraway land, brought and shared by said little friends and their lovely mom and dad.
Day 8: The gift that is the smell of this wonder (again) filling up the house to the point that one is tempted to pretend step out (to check mail, to take out garbage, one item at a time, or whatever it takes…) only so that one can walk back in and inhale.
And this time it wasn’t my hands that had all the flour on them.
Day 9: The gift of the mundane little things being done.
Like mail sorted, and bills paid and on their way.
Day 9: The gift of doing rounds on each side for what seemed like 2 minutes at a time after a LEG day yesterday.
Sweat everywhere.
(Lindsay, this is for you:
If I can’t walk up the stairs to my office, I’ll give you a call and ask for a lift.
Literally.)
Day 9: The gift of mandatory playtime.
Because your sister is the social butterfly with two birthday parties in one day.
And she gets mommy and daddy all to herself.
Day 10: The gift of real mail.
And birthdays to celebrate.
And friends who remember to do what it takes to put that smile on our faces.
Day 11: The gift of a smile on someone else’s face & the gift of the people who put it there.
(Read: Disney on Ice and Skipping School for the whole family)
Day 11: The gift of awe.
Compliments of a certain sister-in-law.
Day 12: The gift of the world becoming smaller and smaller every day.
(Special drinks available on this continent)
Day 13: The gift of spending the day celebrating the Season in community.
This was our contribution.
Along with ham, mashed potatoes & cinnamon rolls.
Turned out pretty well if I may say so myself even though I skipped the orange.
Day 14: The gift of mandatory snuggles prescribed by the thermometer.
AKA, The gift of PTO.
If only the numbers weren’t so high.
Day 14: The gift of one-on-one conversations.
And apple cider.
Because you can’t do much of that while you are out of breath next door (at the gym).
Day 15: The gift of a solid cup of coffee when you forget to make your own at home.
This morning, it was as if they were all waiting for me.
No waiting time, no delay.
Day 15: The gift of an unexpected surprise or a visitor.
And you made it happen.
Day 16: The gift of music.
Classical (and/or Christmas at this time of year) music is always a hit in our vehicles.
And this one – you CAN wrap it up if you’d like.
Day 17: The gift of a warm meal, received or delivered.
Best when shared.
Day 17: The gift of beauty.
Whether it is a bouquet of flowers, the view of a family of ducks on a lake, the noise of a creek near a cabin in the woods far away or the sight of luggage all packed and ready to go the night before the trip — Whatever it is for you and your spouse:
Give.
Enjoy.
Repeat.
Day 18: The gift of a favorite reading spot.
When combined with your favorite drink delivered right to you, in my world, not much else tops that.
Day 18: The gift of the white little delivery trucks bringing things to our doors six days a week.
And the work that they do in the office even when some people are not very nice at all.
Day 19: The gift of a great performance proven clearly by your kids having trouble wiping the smiles off their faces.
Day 20: (can you believe it?) The gift of reconnecting with friends from a far-away place.
Always a treat.
Friends become family.
Day 21: The gift of wise words.
You may have seen this one.
And I get the privilege of seeing this in action in my office every day.
The process of fixing – there is a reason they call it work.
Day 22: The gift of a holiday treat.
Both ready and in process.
And those delivered with love by our neighbors.
On both sides.
Our neighbors are better than your neighbors.
Day 23: The gift of a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Because 3/4 of our household have seen the unwell side of things.
Day 23: The gift of modern medicine & science in general.
The ability to bring high fevers to something more manageable with style.
Celebrating the scientists among us today.
Day 24: The gift of modern entertainment.
OR When Netflix saves the day because your baby is home sick with a fever and unable to go anywhere on Christmas Eve OR Mandatory snuggle time the night before Christmas.
Day 25: The gift of goodness, the gift of generosity and the gift of love.
To view a complete list of the images and videos that went along with these updates, please find us on Facebook and check them out there. I look forward to connecting with you there!
For those of you in need of marriage counseling in Minneapolis, the easiest way to contact us is HERE. We’ll talk to you soon!
