CHRISTMAS!!!

Okay, so, I just had pancakes with maple syrup and a creme brulee latte so I am full of sugar...just a warning...but it's CHRISTMAS TIME!

December 1st. For all but the staunchest of the Christmas creep people December 1st marks the perfectly acceptable barrier. (the staunchest are the 12 Days of Christmas people and I can respect that...but I can't abide by it, how do you fit it all in in 12 days?)  But now December 1st! I got the house decorated yesterday, Brent will do the outside tomorrow. We've already had the Toy Drive Hockey Game so that's a bit of a bummer, it was early so it was like Thanksgiving themed...but anyway...Teddy Bear Toss is tonight and that is my FAVORITE game of the year. And it takes the sting out of missing the B1G playoff because we would have had to choose one or the other if we were in it...

ANYWAY...bought our teddy bears this morning as well as food for the food drive and as I mentioned we already had the toy drive, though there is usually something extra through Brent's work to do there as well. And I love it all.

We are monthly charitable givers. It's an automatic withdraw from Brent's paycheck, then donated to various charities through a matching program at his work. It's a great system. It gives the charities we give to extra money. It gives Intel a tax break. It is consistent giving that can be counted on. We are also catastrophe givers. When the major things happen we give to charities and organizations that can help people affected. Giving is part of what we do. But Christmas giving is different.

It seems like everyone feels warmer toward others at Christmastime. Like we can actually take a step back and see how lucky we are and how much we want to help others. We've done it for as long as we could afford it. And even before we really had much we still gave what we could. (Which studies show over and over again that those who have less, or who have had less, give more in relation to what they have, which makes sense to me. If you've ever had less than it's easy to imagine what it's like and to want to help others.) It was part of Christopher's Christmas growing up. Going to the Giving Tree and finding a gift tag for a child his age to get a gift for. And it was done with his money as soon as he started getting an allowance. The years that he had to tap his savings to get the "good gift" made me smile. No generic Ligo Plastic Bluck giving for him. He got it. Give what will make them happy. Give what you can. Give with an open heart. Give because you are able.

Okay, and now I'm going to take a little bit of a turn...

I want you all to give yourself a gift this season. I want you to give away something that is making you unhappy. Just let it go. It's the season of giving and I think we all deserve something nice. And a lot of time the nicest thing you can do is let go of what isn't making you happy.

Things you are doing.
Things you think you should be doing.
And the more complicated, people who are doing you no good.

Let them go.

Give yourself that gift.

Merry Christmas!