“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
If you ask me how many gifts I received last Christmas, I can't tell you if my life depended on it. However, if you ask how many of those gifts resonated with me, I could count them on one hand and have a finger or two left over.
Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely appreciate all of my Christmas presents, but in all honesty, most of them I don’t remember, which says to me that the money and energy spent on buying gifts at Christmastime don’t necessarily add up to a Merry Christmas unless your “Merry” is defined by the number of gifts you give and receive. Mine is not.
My most cherished Christmas memories are those joyful moments spent with family playing games, watching my nieces and nephews enjoy skating parties, and meal times filled with chatter and raving about mouth-watering homemade desserts. The warmth of togetherness, infused with a surprise or two like discovering that some of my nieces had inherited their grandmother’s baking skills, are the gifts that warm my heart.
I vividly recall the Christmas when one of my brothers surprised each sibling with a hand-painted mug. Each mug featured our names and an inscription that reflected our personalities. I've kept two of the mugs for over a decade. They not only hold pens and pencils on my desk, but are constant reminders of my brother's thoughtfulness, creativity, and how well he knew us.
My most unforgettable 9-5 Christmases at the office were when the routine of pulling names and playing dirty Santa became mundane, and I decided it was time for a change.
The first year, I challenged my staff to take $10 and create gifts for our team of over twenty people. Of course, there was grumbling from a few skeptical health educators, but it was the first of many extraordinary Christmas celebrations.
Ornaments were crafted from hand-painted bottle caps, snowmen were fashioned from socks and rice, clothespins became refrigerator magnets, bookmarks were crocheted from a single skein of yarn, and we enjoyed personalized bags of homemade trail mix, just to name a few. Each creation reflected the talent and the spirit of the giver.
One year, we decided to rewrite the renowned Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, using health promotion lyrics and renaming it The Twelve Days of Health Promotion. The team was divided into groups of two or three people, each assigned one of the twelve days. The challenge was not only in creating new lyrics, but also in the execution; each group had to chime in with their lyric, on cue, without stumbling. If they missed their cue, we had to go back to the first day.
If you've ever sung The Twelve Days of Christmas, you know it can be quite a challenge, so imagine singing it with new lyrics. Laughter mixed with nervous anticipation filled the room as we re-started the song over, and over, and over again, determined to get from day one to day twelve without stumbling. It was hilarious!
The effort we poured into writing The Twelve Days of Health Promotion joyfully took our Christmas celebrations to a different level. It not only showed our collective commitment to health and well-being, but also strengthened our bond as a team.
Another delightful bonus of creative gift-giving is its storytelling element. Every gift represents a narrative rooted in personal experiences or shared aspirations that deepen the connection between the giver and the recipient. As I recall my special moments when gifts were not mere objects, but extensions of the giver, they make me smile and fill my heart with gratitude to have the opportunity to share these memories with others.
So take a moment to reflect on last year's Christmas celebrations. Which gifts stood out and left a lasting impression? What cherished memories from past Christmases still warm your heart and make you smile? And here’s the big question, how would you describe a “Merry Christmas?”
Two things are etched in my mind when it comes to creative gift-giving at Christmastime: They don't have to cost a lot; and they are easy to remember because the memories are imprinted in the heart.
May your holidays be filled with merry memories that last a lifetime!
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