With Thankgiving behind us, and Black Friday,
have you given thought to what you would be giving everyone this Christmas? Here I could go into how Christmas is not about shopping, how I grew up celebrating Christmas on December 6 when St. Nicholas would come and put either candy or coal in my shoes which were placed at the end of the bed . . . but I won’t. Because let’s face it – we all know what Christmas really should be about. About giving to others — but does that mean buying stuff? Of course it does. Or does it?
Gratitude
I just got a wonderful email from a friend that I just loved. It was basically that you shouldn’t just have gratitude for what you’ve GOT, but for what you GIVE. Ties in pretty good with Christmas, I’m thinking.
gratiis – Latin for “out of kindess” or “to please”
tude – a condition, state or quality
So instead of keeping a gratitude journal on what you’re thankful for receiving or having (yes, some people keep one), keep one of all the little and big things you do every day that you GIVE. For example, hold the door open for someone and smile. Pass along any good information to someone lately? Say kind words to someone? Resist the urge to respond to someone surly with the same? Just remember: everyone is dealing with their own “stuff,” and it may not be good stuff. Try to smile and say something kind to everyone – it may just be what they need at that particular moment.
Free Stuff to Give
- A smile I wouldn’t mind a smile, hug, kind word or greeting from this guy:)
- A hug
- A kind word
- A greeting
- A wave
- Your time (priceless!)
Inexpensive Stuff to Give
- Change to a Salvation Army bell ringer
- Baked goods that you’ve given your time (free) to make
- Some sort of crafty thing you’ve made from stuff around the house
Necessary Stuff to Give
A good backup system. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE – tell me you back up your stuff!! Of course you do, I apologize for even thinking that you don’t. So maybe you KNOW someone who doesn’t have a great backup system. I tend to be a little phobic about backing up, so I have an external drive I back up to, and I back up on line. There are tons of them out there from a little expensive to ridiculously expensive. I use Carbonite and so far I love it. It just keeps running in the background, so there’s no down time. Gotta’ love that!
But there’s also:
Mozy – I’ve heard good things, but I obviously can’t endorse it since I don’t use it – you’ll have to do the research on this one yourself. But I just found out there’s a coupon – ONLY GOOD UNTIL NOVEMBER 30, though. Sorry – just found out about it.
Here’s a link that will give you online backup reviews. Not a bad read.
So you’re saying B-O-R-I-N-G – maybe, maybe not. Like a lottery ticket – boring until you win – or in this case, until you crash! You’d be a hero!
Charitable Stuff
How about donating in someone’s name? Last year for Christmas I sat down with my granddaughter (I happen to be a very young grandmother, BTW), and explained to her how people in other countries didn’t 
have food like we do or the resources to raise animals or grow vegetables. We looked through the Heifer International catalog together and she picked a cow that she wanted to donate. After I explained to her that GG (that’s me) couldn’t afford to give a cow, she chose bunnies. What a wonderful gift to give on behalf of a client, too. Just make the donation and send them a card with the donation that you’ve made in their name. They will remember you for that, I’m sure, and you’ve just got another entry for your journal!
This would be a great time to mention how invaluable a Virtual Assistant could be to you this season. I have a client that gave me a budget, a list of people to send to and, after asking him a few questions as to what types of things he wanted to give, I have plenty of time to search for and have delivered the perfect holiday presents for his clients. He spent 15 minutes giving me the information and instruction – now he’s finished!
Here are some more great links:
http://www.justgive.org/give-now/gift-cards/index.jsp
http://www.changingthepresent.org/
Habitat for Humanity
http://www.habitat.org/donation/gfth/
Philabundance:
https://www.philabundance.org/takeactionnow/tan_financial_tribute.asp
Marines – Toys for Tots
https://secure3.convio.net/tft/site/Donation2?idb=1689888040&df_id=1233&1233.donation=form1
So don’t kill yourself fighting traffic — not to mention the money on gas, parking, tolls, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – the emissions!!!! — and searching for that perfect gift for everyone – look into your heart and at the ideas above. Of course, if you had a wonderful VA like me, this would be your easiest holiday season ever!!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Nickey Hollenbach Personal Touch Concierge Service, LLC 484-919-0637 www.ptconciergeservice.com
Virtual Caffeine 