My family completely skipped Christmas presents this year. This was such a fantastic idea.
Instead of buying random things and then pretending you love the random things someone else bought for you, we could all make the most of my favorite gift–spending time together in celebration. We didn’t have much time, it went by much faster than I would like, but this is what made it so precious.
I didn’t always look forward to Christmas. We used to argue a lot all the time. It’s easy to remain peaceful and calm when meditating alone in an empty room. Not so much when it’s crowded and messy.
But with each year we’re all learning more and more, and we’re all able to approach one another with more love, courage, and grace. This year for the first time I brought my husband, his mom and grandfather with me, and they too felt truly loved and welcome.
It wasn’t always like this, but we’ve learned it. Because the greatest gift I ever got from my family was their example in how they never stop learning.