what are YOU giving for Christmas?

It seems that shopping for "gifts" for Christmas is becoming an obsession. Retailers look to Black Friday to finally make a profit, but I do believe that in the haste to take part in these "deals," people are forgetting the true meaning of what Christmas is all about.

Christmas is not the getting, it is the giving, of our time, our talents and our treasures. If you know of someone in a nursing home, go visit. (Time.) If you know of someone in need of having snow shoveled, lawns mowed, an errand to be ran, do it. (Talent.) And of course, Treasure. Everyone seems to think that if you go to some www.needsmoneynow.org site, click a button and give ten dollars, that you have "done enough."

I say that it is not enough. Treasure is more than just clicking a button. It is giving the BEST of YOURSELF. Let me explain:

My husband...great guy, but it is hard for him to "show" his love. He has a heart of pure gold, cries at sappy movies, loves every single animal I have brought into our home, yet to show me how he feels about me? It's as if he has to walk to the moon!

Last night, we watched a Garth Brooks special on TV. After almost two hours, the last song came on. THE song. The one that had him stand up, hold out his hand and, as I accepted, we slow danced to the song. "The Dance." He sniffed away tears as he held me and I savored every moment of his embrace. My mind flooded with thoughts of appreciation, of feeling valued and loved. When the song was over, he looked me in the eye and proclaimed his love, ending it with a soft sweet kiss.

Ahhhh.....love. I have known him just about ten years and I still get chills when he does this.

Treasure. It is what the pirates sought. It is what makes a person cross miles of unknown territory, seeking a new life. Treasure is the BEST of anything you can ever hope to have. And that is what Christmas is all about. Giving someone THE BEST of what you have, not because you HAVE to, but because you WANT to...without waiting for the return, the "what do I get from this?"

You get so much more...that good feeling of knowing someone else is feeling loved as well!

Merry Christmas!