Sparkle On!

Thanksgiving 2020 is now past us. We have 26 days until Christmas. Black Friday sales started on the Monday before black Friday. Really? Maybe it should be called Black Sales Week. I have started buying holiday gifts. I have ordered online and will go hit up some of our local stores on Monday.

To buy gifts.

For my friends and family.

For the holiday season.

I love buying gifts. I love getting gifts. For me, it shows love. It is fun searching and finding that gift that will make someone smile. I don’t go out and just grab anything just to have a gift. I like to make it special. I don’t consider myself a great gift giver. My sister Lauren is. She sees items that are interesting and immediately knows who would love them. My daughter Samantha is. She knows me and can always find a gift that makes me smile. My husband is. He listens to me and remembers things I have said and then knows what I would like. I am not the best at finding the perfect item for people, but I try to choose gifts thoughtfully and from my heart.

So, it is now Sunday after Thanksgiving and I am still getting notifications about Black Friday Sales. Tomorrow is Cyber Monday. Oh, and I just skipped over small business Saturday. The idea of these “deals” takes away some of my joy in the gift buying and giving process. It puts the focus on money. Searching for that best deal, I get sucked into the internet and start comparing prices and items and colors and sizes and – the magic of that gift is gone. I get a thrill out of saving money and getting a bargain but that is not what it is all about.

Gift giving for me is connecting. My grandmother, my mom’s mother, had the most joyous spirit at this time of the year. She started shopping for the holiday giving season the day after Christmas. She wasn’t shopping for a bargain; she was just excited about the next time she could gift the ones she loved. I laugh when I think about the things, she got me, and we all got tons of gifts each from her. She knew I loved to cook so she bought me the best pair of kitchen scissors I ever had. She bought everyone matching pajamas before that was a thing. She bought us anything she may have wanted as a child that she didn’t get. She was the spirit of Christmas in our family until she was gone, but her spirit lives on. I still try to remember her love of giving when I shop.

There are many memes about 2020 and how horrible a year it has been. There is no denying that this has been a hard year for everyone, and it still is. I search for the good in bad situations, it’s what I do. Because of the shut-down, I was able to spend more quality time with my family. Lauren and I were able to create an online yoga studio for our yogis and people that do not live near us. One of the wonderful things that I see this year that I haven’t seen in past years is everyone’s desire to make this year the most sparkly and love-filled holiday season ever. There has been an increase in the sale of holiday decorations for inside the home, Christmas trees, outdoor decorations and more people are decorating their cars. Shopping for gifts is also on an increase. I think we are all trying desperately to sparkle-up the end of 2020. Give it a bit of shine and layer on some holiday music.

I hope you have a wonderful time buying expressions of love for your friends and family.

Sparkle on!