Gifts worth giving
(Spoiler: Journaling. And I can help.)
It’s silent here as I write this post.
Our holiday festivities have wound down and I am alone - finally - wearing my new pair of earplugs so everything is truly quiet.
This holiday season, capping off a doozy of a 2024, found me feeling less than festive.
Our beautiful tree, cut the day after Thanksgiving never got fully decorated.
(Though I have adored journaling by its lights.)
I didn’t bake any holiday treats.
(Except for a tres leches cake, and I’m realizing that there might be one last slice hidden in the fridge…)
I didn’t listen to any holiday music on purpose.
(I took to wearing earplugs so I could have as much quiet as possible.)
I sent out holiday cards I meant to send in 2023.
(I added a letter for context, letting friends and family know what’s been happening in our lives over the last year.)
And gift giving.
Ugh.
I’m grateful to be in a position anyone I gift to pretty much has the ability to get whatever they want when they want it.
It’s a luxury I know many people do not have, a privilege to be sure.
And yet it makes gift giving so tough.
What do we give someone who doesn’t need or want anything? What do we give the people who continue to buy what they want in the weeks leading up to Christmas? The parents and siblings and others who expect gifts, even when they say they don’t? How do we continue to gift when everyone seems to want to have less?
My children are now 22, 20, and 17. When I asked them what they’d like for Christmas, they each made a list. But unlike when I was a kid imagining all the possibilities as I wrote my Christmas lists, mine seemed mostly to put things on a list just for the sake of making a list.
It didn’t feel great to shop. It didn’t feel great to gift.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I only want to give gifts that are gifts worth giving.
I only want to give a gift if it’s truly something that would surprise and/or delight the recipient. Something they will know was picked out just for them. No more of this party gift swap mentality where we bring presents that anyone might like.
Because if anyone might like it, there’s likely not anything special about it.
The gifts that landed this year:
The vintage t-shirt from my old elementary school that my husband dug up on Etsy
Workout clothes for my kid who loves to look good while lifting but didn’t ask for them, with extra tall leggings long enough to fit her properly
A pair of gold Loop earplugs my youngest gifted me to replace the purple foam earplugs I kept wearing around the house when I needed a little more quiet
Alice, my older daughter’s beloved rabbit doll that she adopted at her Nana’s house when she was little. My mom packaged it up for her with a note from Alice, asking her to take her home to live with us permanently
12 Dates of Christmas for my Hallmark Christmas movie loving husband - 12 dates throughout the year that I’ve planned to correspond with the new Connecticut Christmas Movie Trail
And, most of all:
The gift of quiet reflection I gave myself.
Each morning, before anyone else was awake and moving, I settled into my journaling by the lights of our Christmas tree. I reflected on my year, all that 2024 brought me, all that I learned, what I lost, what I gained, what I’m most proud of.
I realized that even though my year went a little bit off the rails - we had loss and grief and stress and discomfort - I grew more into myself than I ever have before. I showed up in hard situations in ways I never could have dreamed. I spoke my truth, even when I knew it would fall on deaf ears. I stood up for myself when others expected me to crumble. And I am so unbelievably grateful for all of it.
It wasn’t until I started this reflection that I was able to truly grasp what this year has meant. And as I turn my journaling toward what I want to create and experience in 2025, I’m excited for the gift of my journaling practice that has been the greatest gift I’ve ever given myself.
If journaling is a gift you’d like to give yourself this next year,
If it’s on your list of habits to adopt or goals to pursue,
I invite you to join me on Thursday, January 16 at 2pm Eastern for a special Journaling with Ease in 2025 Masterclass.
In this 90 minute session, I’ll share the secret to creating a journaling practice that meets your needs and give you lots of ideas for custom tailoring your practice.
Your investment is just $20 and includes a recording of the Masterclass.
Are you in need of support with your journaling practice? Here are three ways I can help:
Want a little support?
Upgrade to a paid subscription of Good Things Come to Those Who Journal. You’ll receive daily journal prompts, each centered around a monthly theme to help you stay motivated, engaged, and accountable to yourself as you build or grow your practice. You’ll always have something new to journal about AND help you get to know yourself like never before!
Want a little more support?
Consider joining our Journaling for Growth Community. While everyone can and should have their own solo journaling practice, journaling in community is something different. When you join us, not only will you receive prompts and tools to help you grow your solo journaling practice, you’ll receive access to our weekly magical group journaling sessions, designed to give you support, encouragement, and accountability in your practice as you learn about yourself and learn to love yourself. Learn more and register with the button below.
Want a even more support?
Let’s hop on a call and talk about what that would look like.
I can’t wait to support you as you give yourself the gift of journaling in 2025! 💛
I actually don't know what I want for the coming year - but I know this is a beautiful reflection and I enjoyed reading it!