holiday gifts

I've been thinking about the holidays...specifically the gift giving aspect of the holidays. It seems that there is a movement this year, no doubt because of the economy, but hopefully because of other reasons as well, that people want to spend less but give more....more from their hearts. I think this is something good.

I was remembering Christmas' past and some of the favorite gifts I have received over the years:

• An inexpensive globe of the world when I was young....because it was the first present that was not a child's toy. It was serious business....

• Luggage from my parents the Christmas before I left for university. It was a total surprise and was a symbol of freedom, an exciting new chapter in my life...and to me it meant that my parents were really rootin' for me.

• A book from my father...every year. Always inscribed at the front, always picked out with thought and care and always reflective of how well he really knows me.

• A book of columns that I wrote for a small newspaper for a year from my sister. I can't imagine how much work it must have taken her to pull it all together....and she will never be able to imagine how much I will always treasure it.

Those are just a few of the gifts that came to mind and, in every case, it's not so much the object but the meaning behind it that I cherish. The greatest gift I receive every holiday season is the time with family and friends....the traditions we hold dear, the memories we make.

So this year I am going to put more thought, more love, more me, into my gifts for family and friends. I am going to give to those less fortunate....the people kind and the pet kind. I am going to tell my mother that all of my favorite holiday traditions and very best Christmas memories are wrapped up in her. I am going to take Sophie for a long winter walk on December 25th, hopefully in deep snow...and even more hopefully we will spot magical reindeer and sleigh tracks on our way. I am going to live the holidays this year like I was 7 again....when my gifts were made out of popsicle sticks and colored yarn, but were bursting with love and hope and joy. Just like I was...just like I am.