What We REALLY Want ...

If you haven't started Christmas shopping, you're probably thinking about it.  And you just might be wondering how you can afford to give presents to all those on your list.  A daunting task most years, it's especially true this year, with the economy continuing its trek down the tubes.

There's a good chance that if you're experiencing these thoughts, others might be, too.

Maybe it's a good year to give someone permission.  To invite them to skip you when it comes to their shopping list.  To give them the gift of freedom to have one less person to spend money on.

Miss Minimalist's ONE LESS GIFT CERTIFICATE is creatively brilliant.  And makes the point that needs to be made.  That truth be told, most of us don't need one more tchotchke on our tabletops.  One more piece of ill-fitting clothing or unused equipment jammed into our already overflowing closets.  We don't need more piles to sort through, more stuff to trip over, more junk to accumulate.

Check out her 10 alternatives to an object stuffed in a bag or wrapped with a bow. And I so appreciate her practical ideas on how to give the precious gift of time. 

The truth is that many of us are craving more purposeful moments with the ones we love.  More focused attention.  Heartfelt interaction that lends itself to building memories that will linger much longer than something that comes in a box or a bag. 

And less stress that comes from over-the-top gift-giving.

Chances are those priceless moments will be easier to come by if our time's not being spent trolling around the mall.  Or shopping endlessly online.  Or spending mindless, numbing hours wrapping presents that will soon be forgotten.

Or worrying about those credit card bills come January.

Maybe what might be appreciated most is exchanging simple, handmade gift certificates for some free child care. Shoveled driveways this winter. A pot of nutritious soup. A cleaned house.  A handyman visit.  A car wash.  A foot massage.  A home-cooked meal.   

You get the idea.

Ready to free up the ones you love from shelling out cash?  Go ahead and post that ONE LESS GIFT CERTIFICATE on your Facebook page.  Or if you're not quite sure what to say, email the link to this post to your friends and family members.

You just might be the one that starts a long-awaited dialogue.  And maybe begin a new trend that allows Christmas to be what it was designed to be. 

A simple celebration of our newborn King.

Linda

- illlustration by http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrshawn/328489888/ -