Halloween is over so you know what that means: Christmas time! Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc., the holiday season is about showing those around you how you feel. This year, it is especially important.
COVID-19 has obviously rocked each and every one of our worlds. The inconvenience, loss and heartbreak it has caused families and friends is more than imaginable. Restaurants closed their doors for good, seniors never had the chance to attend their own graduation ceremonies and concerts were cancelled. However, rather than dwell on what we no longer have, it’s true that we have gained an immense amount in return: a new value on the people around us. During these tough times, we have looked to each other for hope. This year, the most important gift you can give is one that reflects your appreciation.
This year I had the luxury of spending my 19th birthday in quarantine. April 9, practically the worst point in COVID-19, to be exact. If I am being completely honest with you, I assumed it would be the worst birthday of my life. After all, why wouldn’t it? My birthday party was cancelled, I couldn’t do anything with my friends and most of all, the world around me seemed to be crumbling into tiny little pieces. Rather than sticking to my original plan in Blacksburg set long before COVID-19 hit, I spent the day with my family back home in Bristow. Let me tell you, it was one of the best birthdays I’ve had yet. With life on pause, it brought us together to celebrate something hopeful. My friends sent meaningful letters, my distant family called with no rush to get off the phone and my mom, dad, brother and I played games, watched movies and ate birthday cake together like nothing else in the world mattered. In many ways, life being on pause allowed me to see what truly matters in life.
A shiny watch or diamond earrings may both be exquisitely expensive gifts, but nothing measures up to the gesture you can give which comes at a price of $0. With all of this being said, the best gift you can give to others this year is your time and love — whether you are gifting a friend, a mother or a boyfriend. Write a letter, make a craft, give a call or play a game. Whether you can see your loved ones in person or not, there are so many ways you can show your gratitude for them this holiday season. If you’re reading this, I encourage you to be the spark of light in another’s life because that is hope, and the world needs some of that right now.
As Margaret Cousins once said, “Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”