The Gift of Giving

I never ask a person what they want for Christmas if I am planning on giving a gift. I listen, watch and observe.

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Years ago my wife's family decided not to exchange gifts among the adults but to make a meaningful donation instead. I did not think a great idea at the time, but when I think back and contrast that with the negative reactions of my parents if a gift was not EXACTLY what they secretly hoped for, was perceived as either being too "cheap" or "too expensive", or otherwise disappointing, there is a world of difference.

With both sets of parents gone now, my wife's siblings continue to support meaningful charitable causes and I have come to realize the wisdom of that practice and the love that goes into it.

I could never have donated money in my parents' name in lieu of a more traditional gift when they were alive. They would have hated that. But giving a gift at the holidays in their memory now seems to compensate for the unhappy memories and maybe make things a bit more right with the world.

The point of me sharing this personal information with you is this: The thought of "Giving" and "Receiving" means different things to different people. On top of that, there are so many people that get extremely stressed during the holiday's because they know they can never please someone or because of more serious issues, like a lack of money or poor health.

When we "Give" to a charity or an organization we are giving hope, dreams and bringing smiles to someone's face who really needs it. To see a child's face light up because they have a warm coat, or to see the expression on someones face when you give money to a charity they support is something that cannot be expressed in words.

So my idea for beating the Bah Humbug Blahs is to Give a Gift of "Giving"

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