The Gift

With Christmas looming ahead of us, the pressure of gift giving is upon all of us. I love to give friends and family gifts, but it gets harder every year to come up with a great gift idea without getting caught up in the craze of marketing and shopping until you drop.

We want to keep our gift giving simpler this year, not because money is tighter for everyone, but I think it just makes more sense. I can’t think of one thing I really need. So what is it most people don’t have enough of… time, attention, and love. In my new book called The Fabulous@50 Re-Experience I talk about the comfort that food brought to our home when I was a child. I knew all was well if I came home to the delicious smells of baking or a home-cooked meal. I think gifts of home-baking or a specialty Do It Yourself Gift will be what I am giving this year. I think making something with my own hands takes time and attention and especially love.

We are spending some time in Victoria this year, to rest and visit family. On one of my walks, I came upon a little elf village built around the base of one of the amazing trees here in the James Bay area. Little plants, pansies, and a beautifully maintained garden was around the base of the tree, with little doors and elves.

I wondered who would do this? This was a gift to me and anyone else who walked down this street. A block down the road is a school, I could imagine the children as they looked inside the doors. This is one of those gifts, where the giver does not expect a thank you, yet maintains this gift so more people can enjoy it.

When was the last time you just gave without expectation or even without the person knowing you gave it. With Social Media, it seems like people can’t do anything without posting it there for the world to see.

The movie “Pass It Forward” comes to mind as I write this. What if every time someone did something nice for us, we passed it on. Just think of that for a minute. So this Christmas, instead of thinking big, think of the small gestures, that could brighten a person’s day. A plate of cookies for your aging neighbor, or shoveling their sidewalk. How about carrying around a few items in your car, for the homeless. Just imagine driving down the street, seeing a person on a cold day with no gloves, you stop, hand them a pair of gloves and say Merry Christmas. Nothing more is needed. You will never know when the opportunity will arise for you to be kind to someone. Remember the key is in being anonymous.

Enjoy your family, friends and your blessings.

Dianna Bowes is the founder and Creative Director of Fabulous@50 and the editor of Be Fabulous! Magazine. Dianna was the winner of the 2011 YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Turning Point category and the 2014 Leader of Tomorrow Business Award. She is a creative soul, who loves connecting people and embracing life. Travel, great food, family, friends and a long bike ride on a sunny day are her definitions of great life. To read more about Dianna's story click here.