12 Days of Christmas Giveaways (2017) – Day 5
*Give Away has Ended*
GRAND PRIZE!!!
One of you WHO COMMENTS ON ALL TWELVE POSTS AND ALSO SHARES ABOUT THE SERIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA will win a grand prize from me, pictured here.
REMEMBER…in order to win the grand prize, you must leave a comment on all 12 posts. You can start with Day One HERE.
OK, let’s get started with our fifth day’s guest, Alex Kuykendall!
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Giving the Gift of Time
It was the end of the Christmas Tea. A room filled with beautiful women in fancy clothes sitting in front of china place settings on their decorated tables. I’d just talked to the group about unmet expectations and grief during the holidays when one of them approached me and said, “I’m changing my Christmas wish list. This year all I want is for each of my boys to take me out to lunch in January. Alone.” I could tell she was holding back the tears. “I miss my boys.” I could feel my tears of empathy well because I know what it is to want someone’s attention.
In a world where we are increasingly isolated and ever busy we can forget to slow down enough to notice the ones closest to us. A great way to ensure some time together after the hustle, bustle of the Christmas season is to give a set aside activity as a gift. This tells the recipient time with them matters. It can be a great budget friendly gift too because though time is costly, we do not have to spend money to offer it.
Whether the people on our list are our preschool aged children, our parents, neighbors, or friends, we can offer them intentional, quality time as our Christmas offering. Giving time as a gift, minimizes stuff accumulation, and increases memories. Gift ideas include:
- Tickets to a sporting or cultural event
- A restaurant gift certificate to be used together
- A vacation sometime in 2018
- A coupon for a back rub on demand
- A class to take together
- A standing weekly date to walk through the neighborhood
- A membership to a local museum or zoo
- Movie tickets or Netflix membership for the homebound recipient with the promise of Friday night movie nights
No matter your budget, or the person on your Christmas list, you can choose just the right gift of time to give. As Karen says in her book, Listen, Love, Repeat, “Most anything we want to find is easily available with the click of a mouse or a touch of the screen. But I have noticed through the years that of all the presents my kids might receive, the ones that matter the most are those that cost time.” (Pg. 64) When we give the gift of time we are telling the recipient they are worth this prized resource. Our presence is priceless and they are worth that price.
Day Five Giveaway
For the 12 Days of Christmas series, I am giving away A copy of my book, Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing The Season and a Loving My Actual Life racer tank (size XS).
You can read more about Alexandra Kuykendall’s experiment to put an end to the holiday madness in her new book Loving My Actual Christmas: An Experiment in Relishing the Season. A trusted voice in mothering circles, Alex speaks to women around the world about issues of parenting, faith and identity. She is the Cohost of The Open Door Sisterhood Podcast and has also authored Loving My Actual Life and The Artist’s Daughter. Alex lives in the shadows of downtown Denver with her husband Derek and their 4 daughters who range in age from 15 to 6. You can connect with her at AlexandraKuykendall.com.
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12 Days of Christmas Giveaways Rules
- You can comment on all 12 days (once per person) up until midnight Pacific time, Sunday, December 17. All posts are linked on Day One here.
- U.S. Addresses only please.
- One daily winner will be chosen from each day’s comments and all winners (including Grand Prize) will be announced on Wednesday, December 20.
- Share the giveaway with your friends and followers using the share buttons below.
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What a great reminder about the gift of time. At the end of the of the day our memories are gifts that can fit in our hearts and whatever size home we have.
It’s ticking, ticking, into the future.
I love the idea of gifting time. We do get too busy to spend time with our loved ones.
I love the idea of giving something that offers spending time with another person.
We have been trying to give more and more experience gifts to our kids the past few years. They are old enough to appreciate them even before we experience them. Both kids actually ask for this kind of stuff because they “have too much stuff already.”
Great ideas for those struggling with dementia.
Time. I confess, I needed this reminder to give my time to those nearest to me. I get so caught up in the wrapping, baking, and keeping house that I forget to stop and look at those closest to me and give them what’s most important – my time and attention. THANK YOU!!
My kids show me all the time how important taking time to just be with them is. Thanks for this opportunity!
My girls asked for a day with their mom separately for Christmas!
The gift of time is the most important gift you can give to someone.
I’m going to give that to my grandchildren this year in the form of a certificate for a date with Grandma. What memories I will be making with them!
Time, the one gift everyone wants! I see this with each of my children (ages 27-8) and while they desire different activities with me, the want of time remains the same.
Time is the most precious resource we have and when we share it, it has the biggest impact. Sometimes they need our help. Sometimes they just need our presence. Whatever, never underestimate its value.
I love the making of my Christmas gift list & this year I added ‘the gift of time’…remembering to call someone out of state that I haven’t talked to in too long…visiting someone on the list in the church announcements who is recovering from illness or the heartbreak of a loss. Thank you for other ideas, suggestions & your example of giving.
After reading this, I am reminded to call my parents today and that I can’t call them enough. Thank you for some meaningful gift ideas.
We have already started doing this with our 8-year-old hockey player Conor. He has 2 summer hockey camps, a holiday hockey camp, a student subscription to the dinner theatre to attend shows with us, his Packers kids fan club membership are among his gifts this year. Our home is SO cluttered, and he loves to do these things. We will go as a family to see Elf, the Musical. I love giving experiences and time as a gift.
Thanks for the reminder!
(I have NO idea what Imight do with a size XS anything, but, I will find someone to give it to, if I need to!)
Time, is truly the best gift because we never seem to have enough of it.
Thank you for the reminder. Time is so precious and important. Thank you!
We are studying “Listen, Love, Repeat” in my women’s Bible Study. This post and Karen’s book have caused me to think differently about gift giving.
Time is actually one of my more favorite gifts to give. I love giving experiences. Clothes wear, toys are outgrown, but the memories from the events last a lifetime.
A good reminder. Thank you.
I like the idea of just asking for time together for Christmas. Love it!
The gift of time – so special! Thanks for your words!
Such a good reminder… thank you!
Love giving the gift of time with those I love!!
We have been doing more tickets than gift for our 9 year old. Create more memories and more one on one time.