My Holiday 2012 Gift Giving Guide
As soon as Halloween ends it starts, those endless ads and commercials promising that they have the “perfect gift”. Lexus and BMW would have you believe that it’s one of their $50,000+ cars. Best Buy’s singing sales associates claim to know what the perfect gift is for everyone, and that’s generally a pricey gadget. Computers, iPhones, Wiis and Playstations, they all claim they are the perfect gift. They’re all wrong. The perfect gift is something money simply can’t buy and yet is priceless. You see, they always talk about this season being the season of giving and it is, but commercialization has turned that giving into material things when what we should be giving is ourselves. Our time, our attention, our care, and our love.
This year, we’ll wake up to a Christmas morning with no gifts under the tree. Our stockings will be empty. My husband was laid off and we just don’t have the money. Every dime we have goes toward keeping a roof over our heads and the heat and lights on. By the grace of God, we are surviving, and we have no complaints. We are truly and deeply blessed.
I know I just got through saying gifts aren’t what Christmas is about and it’s not. I believed that even in past years when we could afford to buy gifts. I love buying gifts for others, especially my husband. Not being able to buy gifts is really hard when it seems like every magazine and radio ad, TV commercial and song is about gifts and Santa. It makes you feel like a real outcast. I guess we can thank the rabid commercialization of the holiday for that. It sends the message that if you really care about friends and family you must shower them with gifts, otherwise you are a “Scrooge”. I’ll be honest, it really hurts. We feel really bad about the fact we can’t give to others this year.
I’m not ashamed of our situation. I know we’re not alone. Millions of Americans are dealing with unemployment and financial issues. I’ve shared it with some friends. Some have been extremely supportive and caring, and some have completely ignored us and our situation. I have to tell you that hurt deeply. To pour your heart out about a painful and stressful situation only to be ignored is like a kick in the stomach. Those that took the time to listen and reach out to us gave us a gift we will never forget. You see, just the simple act of saying “I care” is a priceless gift.
This season and throughout the year you hear a lot about helping those less fortunate-giving to charities, volunteering, etc, and those things are important. But look a little closer to home. Chances are you have a friend or family member going through financial problems too, or struggling in another way, perhaps with an illness, relationship or job issue. Reach out to them. Tell them you care and you’re there to help. Never assume they “just know”. Take the time to tell them how much they mean to you and that you care.
Give them the gift of you and your time, concern, and love. That is the greatest gift, and one we just don’t give each other enough of.
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Maybe, Just Maybe…
The next time you are thinking nasty things about the person in front of you using food stamps, consider this. Maybe she lost everything in the hurricane. Maybe he lost his wife to cancer and has 3 kids to raise alone. Maybe she’s got MS or another chronic disease and can’t work. Maybe he’s an only child who had to quit work to care for his mom who has Alzheimer. Maybe she just left her abusive husband and has to make a new start. Maybe he’s in college and supporting his younger siblings because his mom’s in jail and his dad’s a deadbeat. Maybe her husband got laid off from his well-paying job and she had been a stay at home mom caring for their disabled child. Maybe they are human, just like you, except you’ve had just a little more luck along the way. Maybe someday you’ll find yourself in their shoes. Maybe you should be counting your blessings instead of scorning their misfortune. Maybe you should learn to empathize instead of criticize. We’re all in this together. Maybe we should love thy neighbor rather than hate what we can’t relate to or understand.
Read MoreI Am…
I am not a percentage, a label, or a catchphrase. I am a hard-working, decent person. I am a wife, a daughter, a small business owner. I want a hand up, not a hand out. I want financial security, not financial windfalls. I want a country where government is by the people for the people, not by Wall Street and Big Oil for their own gain. I want legislators, not lobbyists, who compromise not criticize, and have their constituents best interests, not special interests as their priority. I want a country where no one has to worry about getting preventive care or life-saving treatments regardless of their bank account. I want clean skies and clear waters. I want change, not childish bickering, solutions not slander, and a government run by people passionate about public service, not power trips. I am an American. I am a New Yorker. I am but one vote in a sea of many but it is no less important than any other. We all matter, so VOTE!!! Let your voice be heard!
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