I’m a last minute holiday shopper. In fact, I’m still waiting on some packages to come in from Amazon … fingers crossed.

It’s not that I don’t like giving gifts – quite the contrary! It just takes time to get the perfect gift, which is why I feel I’m always a little behind. And when I can’t find the perfect gift, I just grab something in a haste. Don’t judge … I know you do it, too.

I want to bring you back to a time when my haste was met with a surprise. It was when I lived in Virginia Beach and my family attended this small church that had a wonderful Sunday school program.  

After service was over, I dropped my son off at his class and I noticed all the other kids giving the teacher gifts. “Oh crap,” I thought. I knew I forgot. So while my son was in class, I thought, “I’ve got an hour. What can I get her that I think she’ll like.” I knew she drank coffee. Who doesn’t like more coffee? So, I went to Target and grabbed a Starbucks coffee cup with a gift card inside of it.  

When class was over, I gave it to my son to give to his teacher. When she pulled the mug and gift card out of the bag, something amazing happened: She looked directly at my son and said something to the effect of … 

Judge, you have no idea how special this is to me. I go to Target all of the time. I see people carrying these beautiful cups around the store. I can smell the vanilla in their lattes. Sometimes I smell hazelnut. I think to myself: I want a cup of coffee. But Starbucks can be expensive, so a latte is not an everyday treat. Thank you. You have no idea how meaningful this is to me. And now I get to drink it from this beautiful holiday mug. I’m so appreciative.

She gushed. It was sincere. And she made my son feel so special. And I could’ve felt a little guilty giving her a gift with little thought put into it, but I could tell that I could’ve given her anything and she would’ve been thankful just to be thought of this holiday season.  

There’s a lot of emphasis on perfection during this time of year – perfect gifts, perfect meals, perfect conversations. Let’s take the perfect out of it. We’re all doing our best, so let’s give ourselves some grace. And if we really feel we need to be perfect at something, perhaps a noble pursuit is focusing on how to receive – it’s in those moments when we can give people the moment to feel special – a universal need we all have.  

We’re in receiving moments all the time – someone … 

• Offers to take on a new project because they know we’re swamped
• Gives us feedback that offers insight into how we can get better
• Goes above and beyond to meet the end of year deadline

Yeah, we might say “thank you” in these moments. But couldn’t we try and do what my son’s Sunday School teacher did – really share with others the “why” so they know how we feel about their thoughtful actions?

I think so. Being grateful for the smallest of things has a powerful impact on the tone of our relationships.  

Here’s to a wonderful holiday break.

PS  I’m going dark for the holidays … when my team and I return, you’re going to see some exciting shifts and changes in our weekly communication.  I can’t wait!!