My son and I ate lunch at Cracker Barrel today. As we waited to be seated and to pay, we were repeatedly swept aside by frantic shoppers buying Hello Kitty clothes and half-price Christmas decorations. Even as one mom shielded her purchases from her children's view, they held up candy and plastic toys in hopes that a little whine and pout might add to their Christmas joys.This year, for the first time in any of our lives, my children and I aren't doing Christmas. This gives us a chance to stand back and observe. The view is shocking. Stress. Greed. Money spent to buy...what? We are not exchanging gifts, but we've given each other something priceless. This holiday season, without the rush to wrap and write cards, we've gotten to talk. And talk. We have learned so much about each other: hidden hurts, unknown pain, but most of all, the love we feel for each other.
Take a breath, everyone. You don't have to spend a cent to give your heart--and it's a gift that won't go back on December 26.
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