Hi Everyone,

What does the holiday mean to you? As always, it’s all about our perspective.

This weekend, I caught a glimpse of what the holiday meant to many people. First, I was headed to our local mall to pick up some last minute gifts. While some people were angry, frustrated, harried, overwhelmed and miserable over all they had to do-with not nearly enough time to do it, others were enjoying themselves as they chose the perfect gift for loved ones .

Next, my family and I went out to dinner. While some people were frustrated with a lack of available seating, long lines and slow service, others were enjoying the delicious break after a long day. Some people at surrounding tables were even celebrating by wearing their holiday hats, pins and scarves festively decorated with holiday spirit.

Sunday, my family and I went to be a part of the annual Big Brothers/Big Sisters Organization yearly food/toy drive. It’s something we’ve done for the past few years and if you ask me, it’s what the holiday is all about.

First, over 120 families gather together in a cold warehouse. Everyone warmly greets one another as we all recognize we’ve gotten ourselves up and out of our houses early on a Sunday morning for a very special reason. We then hear the yearly speech- a generous thank you for all of the families involved and an overview of what to expect as we head out of the warehouse to do our service. You see, each family is given an envelope with directions and information to one or two families we’ve been selected to visit. The information tells us how many children are in the house/apartment and their ages. We’re then given two huge boxes of food for each house we plan to visit. The boxes are filled with a complete holiday meal-from appetizer to dessert. Next, we’re given a big gift bag for each house we’re visiting. Here’s the best part.

We’re told not to judge the size or weight of the bag. Why? Because they’ve been individually packed according to the ages and stages of the kids we’re delivering them to. While some bags are light, they may contain nothing but gift cards for a teenager who may want some new clothes, music, books or sneakers. Other bags are loaded with stuffed animals, ipods, games and toys for children who would appreciate finding a gift under the tree.

We’re then given the final part of our speech. We’re told not to expect a warm greeting, cheery hello or easy welcome. While these families know we’re on our way, they may feel uncomfortable that we are there bringing food and gifts.

Off we go with our boxes of food, bags of gifts, my husband, me and our 4 kids. Our car is filled with holiday spirit. We go to the first house to deliver our gifts to a mom and her 3 teenage girls. The girls aren’t home but the mom greets us warmly and shows us where to put the boxes and bags. We wish her a happy holiday, give her a hug and wave goodbye as we all leave her cramped apartment.

Next, we’re off to our next apartment. This time, we’re delivering our food and gifts to a single mom with an 11 year old girl. The mom opens the door and we instantly smell freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. As we deliver the food and gifts, she offers the cookies to my family. As we chatted and ate the delicous cookies, we all felt the true spirit of the holidays.

Here was this wonderful woman. She welcomed us into her home. She warmly thanked us for bringing her food and gifts and wanted to give us something in return. She didn’t know us and we didn’t know her but it was as if we were spending time with an old friend. As we warmly embraced goodbye, we were all reminded of what really matters this holiday season.

Nothing feels better than to give. Nothing. Besides, as you give of yourself, whether it’s your time, your effort or your energy, you can never know just how meaningful it is to someone else. As we finish out this year and head into the next, let’s try to shower as many people as we can with our love, generosity, affection and attention. While we typically save those gifts for those closest to us, it’s those we barely know that may need it just as much…if not more.

Happy holidays and wishing you all a safe, festive, loving and enjoyable day!
Debi “The Mojo Coach”