The Reason for the Season: Consider Giving More of You, the Gift that Will Last Forever

(Article & Photo by Brandon Scott)

The winter chill has descended upon us in Ohio, and with it the snow has been falling in pearlescent sheets of white crystal, and so it’s beginning to feel a lot like the holidays. But the holiday season has turned into a nightmare. Did that last sentence catch you off guard?

Well, it’s true.

When many families must save all year to afford a gift giving extravaganza or choose going in debt for much of the new year to be able to pull off their family’s Christmas, then the holiday is becoming more stressful than it should and the gift giving is being done for the wrong reasons entirely. The holidays are not about shopping, nor are they about sitting through some service. But do beware, because big business and marketing companies will have you believing it’s all about the gifts you buy, and will have a heyday making you feel like you should buy more, and more, and…

---

The truth is, the reason for the season is love. It’s as simple as that. Love shared between two or more is the kind of gift that will live on forever. The truth is that the holidays are for the time spent with loved ones, because life is too damn short, and these are the moments that matter most. While it’s easier to simply purchase a gift to show your love, it’s so much more powerful to be positive, loving, and supportive of your loved ones.

So this year and every year that follows, I implore you to choose happy, choose to smile, to play, to laugh, and to choose to love your family, but to also consider what might make the biggest difference in their lives. Do you notice they are unhappy in their current situation? Is it obvious they are spinning their wheels and need to get away for a while? Can you tell they need something new and exciting in their lives? Or something as simple as an ear that will listen? If so, be that ear, be the traction that guides them onto a new path. Be the love you feel.

This holiday season, consider deeply the effect you will have on your loved ones, and be as much as you can, even if you can only give a little. I implore you to try and give your love and to give positivity, as those are the only effects that are truly everlasting. The most powerful gift I ever received was a chance to travel and see the world. If paying for an entire trip is out of the question, then simply plan a day trip and go with them so you both can share in a new experience, because these types of memories are made quickly and go by in a flash, yet stay with you and your family longer than trinkets, toys, and plastic crap. Or spend a little more time and make your gift as nothing says you love them more than a handcrafted gift like a quilt, or a longhand love letter. Think deeper this Yule season, and give more than something that will end up in a landfill in a month or two.

From all of us at Woodland Herbal, we wish you a very Happy Yule this year, and do please remember: Choose happy, choose love, and choose new experiences and new memories shared together.