What to Give?

As much as giving Christmas gifts can be a hassle, I love surprising someone with an unexpected gift. This year Tena and I said we weren’t getting anything for each other, but I found a gift that I knew I had to get for her. Therefore I breached our agreement, bought the gift, and have carefully hidden it under the tree. She deserves it because over the years she has done this many times for me. By blogging about it now, it only adds to the dramatic tension and tests whether all of you can keep a secret. And if by chance she reads this, it only increases her anticipation for Christmas morning!

Then there are those difficult folks for whom we must buy a present. We dread thinking about it, shopping for it, and pretending to be excited when we give it. In this spirit, I came across something Oren Arnold wrote to help us in choosing a gift:

Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.

It reminds us that finding the right gift does not always require a shopping trip. There is always something of ourselves that we can give that the other person truly needs. 

It is hard to believe this is my last blog of the year. I’ll resume again after the holidays. Until then, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and God’s richest blessings in the New Year.