Appreciation is the Best Gift We Can Give

During the holiday season, it's easy for us to get caught up in the stress of decorating the house, preparing for parties, and rushing around to buy gifts for everyone. Many of us will spend hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on holiday presents.

Instead of just giving the important people in your life lots of "stuff" this year, give them the best gift of all; your appreciation. Your spouse, parents, children, friends, co-workers, or other family members, will be thrilled when you let them know what you appreciate about them and how they positively impact your life.

In the midst of our holiday “madness,” we often forget that what most people want, more than anything else, is to be truly appreciated by us. The best gift we can give to the people in our lives is the gift of our true appreciation and love. This is not to say that material gifts are meaningless. However, I think we often get so caught up in the material gifts and the activities of the holidays that we forget that the most important gift (our love and appreciation) costs nothing at all.

If we stop for a moment and think about the people around us, there is so much to appreciate about them. Maybe they are not “perfect” and maybe we get annoyed and frustrated with them at times. It seems that we often get the most frustrated with those closest to us.

However, as Werner Erhard said, “In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.” I believe we find exactly what we look for. If we look for “gold” in others, we always find an abundance of treasures within them. Then, when we have the courage to honor and acknowledge their gold in a heartfelt way, we give them one of the most powerful and meaningful gifts of all…appreciation!

Here are three simple suggestions to make your holiday gifts and your holiday season special:

Suggestions:

1) In addition to (or instead of) giving gifts, take time to write heartfelt thank you cards. Let the important people around you know what you appreciate about them and how they have impacted your life. n
2) Ask people what they want. Getting something specific that they really want will have them feel appreciated and valued. It doesn't have to be expensive, as long as it is personal to them. n
3) When you gather with your family or friends to exchange gifts, as you pass things out to each person, take a moment to let them know what you appreciate about them publicly.

Make this holiday season one of connection and transformation for you and those close to you by taking the time to express your love and appreciation. The people in your life will be grateful and so will you!