Raise your hand if you made a list of things you want for Christmas or Hanukkah! Are you also running all over the place to get others what they think they want– or what you think they want to have? It’s all pretty exhausting for us and I think most would say it never really leaves us feeling like it’s the reason for the season.

Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Christmas time! I also enjoy giving and receiving gifts but as I’ve grown older, I’ve just become more sensitive to the commercialism of it all. Mostly, because I feel the gifts we all really need and want are not the kind that can be purchased. I have also become much more aware that most of those gifts under the tree go out of style pretty quickly, clutter my house or end up in a trash pile heaped on our beautiful earth.

My older self has been thinking about this a lot lately and it made me want to write about it. What I love most about Christmas is the beautiful magic of the season! So in the true spirit of the season, can we dig deeper and ask ourselves if a new sweater, a tool, a piece of jewelry or the latest tech device is reallllllly going to add to anyone’s happiness, security or quality of life? Is that really where the magic is?

When we listen to our hearts, we know the gifts we really need from each other are the gifts of love, respect, comfort, peace, joy and understanding. Those are “the items” we can really use, more than ever! We need them for good physical health. We need them for good mental health. We need them for good spiritual health. So what if we challenged ourselves to give more gifts on a daily basis that contribute to that list? I know this sounds idealistic– but realistically, it could help us all feel so much healthier, happier and settled.

The world seems to have an extra scoop of crazy on top right now. When we have to put that on top of our every day responsibilities, worries, struggles, losses, etc., it can leave us all feeling really unsettled. Life is beautiful but it’s not easy. People are really feeling the pressures of today’s world. In addition, while the holidays are fun, they are also very hectic and can bring up a lot of emotions for all of us.

Will you think about this with me? Will you explore some of these gifts from the heart?–Maybe we can all bring them closer to the forefront of our hearts and minds.

There are many people who feel lonely. Maybe you are even one of them. Can we give the gift of letting people know more often that we see them, feel them and care about they’re feeling?

What ever our political alliances are, I think many of us feel very frustrated, powerless and embarrassed by the negative climate right now. Rather than using social media to spread negative opinions, can we gift our time as a volunteer to try to make a difference ourself? We are all more powerful than we realize.

Do you have a bad habit that isn’t good for you? Can you give yourself and your loved ones the gift of quitting it?

Have we hurt someone deeply and never had the courage to apologize? Can we finally gift that apology? The gift of an apology is life changing for both sides.

Do you find yourself judging people a lot? We can all feel when we’re being judged and it’s hurtful. Can we give the gift of less judgment?

We are all trying hard in our own ways. Can we give more gifts of praise, support and affirmation to our friends, family and coworkers?

Do we return the same love, effort and respect that we take from our relationships? Can we gift a better “me” to them?

Do we have important people in our lives that need more of our time? Can we gift more of our time to them?

Humans need to be listened to, smiled at, snuggled and hugged. Can we gift more of that?

What about gifts of help in our homes. If you don’t do your own laundry, can you give the gift of turning it right side out before you throw it in the hamper? How about the gifts of cooking, cleaning up after yourself, emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash?  How about the gift of a loving, sticky note on the bathroom mirror? Remind someone they’re beautiful and that you love them.

These are just a few examples. How many gifts can we give that will make life more joyful, more fun and more beautiful for each other? Gifts of love, comfort, help, peace and joy are what we all really need. These are gifts to both of us. I’m challenging myself to start giving more “beautiful gifts” from my heart, not just for Christmas but for everyday life. I’m beginning right now by sharing this blog post with you–I wanted you to know, I see you, I feel you and I’m going to share more gifts from my heart that improve all of our well-being. I hope you’ll join me!

Grow yourself beautiful–Grow your life beautiful,

Sharon Peddie, Author of “Grow Yourself Beautiful”

This is my first blog post. I hope you’ll follow my newly launched Thoughtful/Lifestyle Blog, “Grow Your Life Beautiful” and we can grow our lives more beautiful together! http://www.sharonpeddieblog.wordpress.com