Gifts of Time

The gift of time.

When I was a child, my Gam gave me a nativity snow globe.  My younger self didn’t appreciate it but now, as an adult, it’s a treasured gift.

Every year, just after Thanksgiving, I carefully take the snow globe from its styrofoam packaging and place it in my living room. The globe sits there until decorations come down on January 6th. Occasionally I wind up the music box on the bottom and listen to the snow globe as it perfectly plays Oh Come All Ye Faithful.

No one is allowed to touch the snow globe. It’s old, fragile, and very special to me….a happy reminder of my Gam. I don’t know if she knew this when she gave me the snow globe so many years ago, but it’s a gift that continues to bring me joy every holiday season.

I always hope that handmade items elicit the same feeling when I give them to friends or family. Some friends of mine and I participate in a gift exchange each year. This year I wanted to make something special. My gift went to a friend that puts so much time, effort and energy in to many aspects of her life. She creates such beautiful things and I wanted to do the same for her.

Enter the gift of time.

Gifts of time show up in so many ways. A phone call. A cup of coffee with a friend. A walk around a lake. An item you made. An item you love and share with a friend.

Time to make. Time to pick out. Time to wrap with care. Time to send. There are infinite possibilities.

For me, I suppose, the thing I love most is unboxing a special treasure, year after year, is experiencing the same joy I did when I opened the gift for the first time. Knowing that someone cared enough to make (or pick out) something special. An ooh. An ahh. A smile on my face.

My intent with this years gift of time is that my friend feels the same way. A reminder that someone thought enough about her gift to make a special something; a smile when she uses the items made just for her.

For this holiday season that includes:

Not pictured: a book I knew she’d like.

The gifts were inspired from her birthday wish list in which she only asked for the gift of time with her friend’s because, truly, there are few greater gifts than that.

Whatever your holidays look like this year, I hope they are truly Merry and I hope that whatever you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) brings you peace and joy.