Nurturing Time Together This Holiday Season

 You've heard the expression "you have to pick your battles".  The meaning behind it, that sometimes we can win a fight but lose the war.  During this holiday time, I hope the meaning of family and friends will mean more to all of us, than the fear of sickness and winning the discussions of political differences.  I am not insinuating that sickness is not real, but with wisdom, some creativity, and love this Holiday season; we can still reach out and touch one another heart to heart.

This Hanakkah and Christmas I want to make every gift even more special than ever.  In these times when you might hesitate to attend large group gatherings, maybe smaller segments are easier digested.  I find getting together with others over coffee or lunch can be much more meaningful; and it doesn't mean you have to spend money to do it.  Let's use some creativity here.  The world is not the same; and maybe some things will never go back to the way they were; but personal relationships can contribute more to health and worth than a gift in the mail.  Here in the Northeast there are a group of women who walk together.  We started doing this in the midst of lockdowns last winter.  Dressing for the weather, we set times and places every few weeks to walk.  We let the group know and whomever can join in does.  Each week is a little different.  It's a way of getting exercise, catching up, being together and letting down our hair for a couple of hours with those that understand where we are at.  We don't care if anyone is vaxed or not and whomever wants to wear a mask can without questions.     I have been to outdoor sledding parties with refreshments around a bonfire and backyard parties around a chiminea.  There's always the fun of door to door caroling for the singers as well as the recipients.  Or how about building a neighborhood snow sculpture, fort, or tower.  Folks can distance as they need to and we are still together with one another.

Sometimes we make gifts,  knock on a loved ones' door, deliver the gift and even have a short conversation.  You would be amazed how that spontaneous act can lead to an unexpected invitation to come in, to share a struggle, to see a smile, to help bear a burden.

The opinions of the "specialists" are many and conflicting.  The real results are yet to be seen and understood.  In the meantime, do we really want to separate ourselves from those we love and risk losing our heart connections over differences of opinion; or do we want to keep those we love close to us when we need each other most?

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Gifts of Food and Health

This year more than ever, I find that useful gifts come in many forms and they don't have to be expensive.   Finances are being strained for many of us right now.  As much as we want to have the best food and healthcare products, they can strain our budgets.  Gifts that exemplify healthy lifestyles can even come in child sizes. 

Gift certificates for food or introductory offers can help our loved ones stay on the path to health.  A subscription to Thrive Market (an extraordinary company who mail orders totally organic food anywhere in the country right to your door, postage free), Harry & Davids (Fruit connoisseurs), Green Chef (meal in a box), Misfits Market (the imperfect but just as healthy unmarketables), or any of a number of others that you can find on the internet under organic mail order companies.  Homemade preserves and other foods from an overflowing harvest can be beautifully presented in a gift basket, bag or creative container. 

Gifts of immune boosting herbals, supplement formulas, or luxurious spa and preservative free body care products are a special way to say you are thinking of someone.   You can support a worthwhile company while you provide for family and friends.   There are some herbal companies like Mountain Rose Herbs, Sage Woman Herbals, Richters, The Grow Network, and others that have developed kits for making tinctures, and a myriad of other health related products that can supply needed nutrition and health while having fun together as family.

If you have gardeners to buy for, an organic seed collection, or amenities to prepare and maintain the garden beds can be just as important, as we begin to make sure we have enough in our own backyards to sustain us as supplies become questionable.

Let's get ourselves out of our boxes of material focused gifting and give gifts of life, health and love in this giving season.  Gifts that will last longer than a day or two but contribute to longevity, fun and carry us farther into the future. 

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