Happy Thursday! This past weekend, Tony and I went to a Christmas Tree farm with our closest friends, to cut down our tree. It has become a great tradition over the past few years. One that usually entails all the guys going ahead to scope out the best tree, while us girls slowly walk behind, shoving our hands in our pockets to keep warm, and talking about our favorite TV shows or catching up on the week. The guys find the trees, we give our approval, and then they are cut down and strapped to our cars.
There is something about this activity that for me, truly marks the beginning of the Christmas season. But because, getting the tree is just one part of getting ready for the holiday, today I am sharing a gift guide I love, a podcast that says some great things about hospitality this season, and a fabulous quote about Christmas. Enjoy!
Love
When it comes to giving gifts—at the holidays or for birthdays—I really want them to mean something. I want them to perfectly fit the person I am buying for, or to do something good in our world (i.e. supporting women entrepreneurs in a third world country). And if I can do both, it’s a win, win. That is why I love Melanie Dale’s Slave Free Christmas gift guide on her podcast, Lighten Up. In this years episode, Melanie shares some very cool products made by companies doing important things in our world to prevent slavery and empower women.
One place she mentions is Preemptive Love Coalition, and I gave their beautiful Sisterhood Soap as gifts last Christmas. Another place she mentions that I am looking into for gifts, is blanket maker, All the Feels, who for every blanket purchased buys one for a homeless teen. Oh, and did I mention there are a few coupon codes as well? To check out the full list, click here.
Where do you find your gift-giving inspiration?
Learn
In the midst of this busy season, we could all use a little grounding wisdom for the Holidays. One place I’ve found it is on episode 3 of Jen Hatmaker’s For The Love Of Food podcast. For this episode, Jen interviews the fifth season winner of “The Next Food Network Star,” and host of Ten Dollar Dinners, Melissa D’Arabian. And during their conversation, Melissa shares some important advice on hospitality and the danger of trying to impress people. She explains:
“I think, for me, I have to remember, “What is the goal here?” The goal in having someone in my home is connection. It’s connection. It’s not just collectivity, but it’s intimacy. It’s intimacy. When I impress you, I separate from you. Suddenly now I’m in a different box. Why? Because it’s very hard to feel connected when you’re impressed.”
Whenever I have people over for a meal, I know I feel the temptation to try and impress them—but as Melissa says, impressing people doesn’t draw them closer. Rather it does the opposite of what we want to do. If you are hosting anyone this season, I invite you to check out this episode. Maybe listen to it as you’re getting ready for your guests, and remember that what your people want most is time with you, not some fancy production.
Whose words are grounding you this season?
Where do you need to connect rather than impress?
Lead
“Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.”
—Eric Sevareid
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