Christmas Present

Just a few hours left of Christmas Eve. We had a nice time at my aunt's. It was quiet but it was good to have time to just visit with one another. My aunt is in her 80's and a real 'pistol.' She has always been a lot of fun to be with and easy to talk to.

Driving home gave me time to reflect on Christmas and what I want out of it. And what I really don't want is a lot of gifts.

I am very happy with my decision to ask my friends not to exchange gifts this year. It has been so much more relaxed. I hope that they feel the same way and will honor my request. I will make it clear that I want it to continue beyond this year, too. There isn't anything I need that someone else can buy me. I would prefer to just spend time with my friends.

And I'd rather give gifts at other times of the year - especially when they are unexpected. I'd much rather give someone some homemade chutney in July or a handmade scarf in October. I think it just means more.

When I think over past Christmases and the gifts I've received, I remember more of the times I was disappointed than when I was thrilled. I don't think that's the fault of the giver. I think it's because of the expectations.

It's hard to pick the right gift and with the added expectations at Christmas, it's even harder. Suddenly, we expect those we love to immediately know what the perfect gift is. As children we don't think twice about creating a list of things we want. As adults we expect others to just know what we want. But creating a list seems wrong, too.

So I chose to eliminate the stress and the expectations this year. And that's the best Christmas present I could get!