Every year you hear the same thing...what am I going to give________ (fill in the blank). We all know people who seemingly have everything or at least the resources to get what ever they want so we seem to be at a loss for gift ideas. This made me stop and think. I am of a generation and demographic that usually acquires what we want...and at this point in my life I have more than I need.

Our recent downsizing was enough to make us stop and ask if we really need anything ever again. And then I hear it from my children..."you are so hard to buy for." Well, in point of fact, there is nothing to buy. More importantly, though, is the idea that there seems to be a sense of obligation to buy me something. We all have people that we feel obligated to buy a gift for...your boss, your child's teacher, your great aunt Mable or maybe it's the neighbor who always brings you a plate of homemade cookies. Gifts were never meant to be thought of as obligations. They should be something we do as a sign of gratitude for the friendship, the relationship, the closeness of friends.

This got me thinking. What are your favorite gifts of all time? What did you receive that you still think of when you think of Christmas. I remember a bicycle when I was 10 years old. A blue ten speed. But the things I remember most about Christmas are not the gifts. Think about this question...what is your favorite memory of Christmas? I'll be it is not a gift. It might by some cookie or food dish that is a family tradition, maybe going to your grandmothers house, the time snow fell over night and you woke to a white Christmas, maybe it was, as it is for me, the simple gathering of the family.

I was blessed as a child to have a warm and loving extended family. We did not all live in the same city but we were all within an couple of hours of each other. We would get together on the Saturday before Christmas for a large family Christmas dinner. Everyone was then able to be home as a family on Christmas but still get together. It was to say the least a wild and crazy party when my mother and her sisters got together and the Christmas holiday was certainly no exception. All of us cousins would play and sneak cookies and goodies when the adults were partying. There was laughter and smiles and hugs more than anyone could possibly need but they were never unwelcome. We saw family at Christmas dinner that we did not see at any other time. In fact "family" was used a bit loosely. Friends of my mother and her sisters from as far back as high school would show up and join in, there would be aunts that you often forgot about. But it was not any gift other than the love that was shared.

Back to the topic of gifts. I think maybe we spend to much time trying to find someTHING that we can give to that person rather than remembering exactly why we are giving it. I would be happier by far with a gift of time with my son or daughter or grandchildren than any sweater or tie. I have all the tech stuff a person could really want but time...that is far more limited. Time does not mean you have to spend a day with me or even an evening. It might just be a commitment to be more connected...to share a bit more about what is going on in your life.

I don't think I am alone. I bet that teacher of your child's would love to have you come and spend an afternoon helping her grade papers or sharpen pencils, make copies or help assemble the student books. I bet the neighbor would love to have you drop in and spend an hour just chatting over the cookies, maybe with some coffee or hot chocolate more than a coffee mug or a Starbucks gift card. WE all can use more human interaction, we can all use more time with friends but we, especially in today's world, crave more time with those we value.

So next time you ask...what can I give ___________, ask yourself this; have I got some time to spend with them. Can I call or Skype or FaceTime? Can I do something with my time to let them know how much I value their role in my life. This is not a new idea....remember the greatest gift ever give was a gift of time, of love. God did not send us things, or give us what we had on some Christmas list, He gave us what He knew we needed and wanted. He gave us life...He gave us hope...He gave us himself. In that gift we have found, and we share, great JOY. It was never meant to be about giving something...Christmas was always about LOVE.