Giftfromtheheart2

Feature Article from December 2007 Newsletter:

Happy December! Are you starting to feel surges of panic and overwhelm and you know it’s not a hot flash? My guess is it’s the holiday buzz getting to you. So grab a cup of tea and read on, I am here to help.

I am starting our Circle of Giving: Gifts from the Heart guide today. I will try to post something at least a few times a week through December, but I would love your help.  What is a Gift from the Heart? It is a gift that keeps on giving and forms a circle of both giving and receiving. When you give the gift someone feels great, and you feel even better for giving it! How about that? I started this tradition last year and I had the best holiday season ever. Each gift I gave was selected or created with love, so it was not purchased or made with pressure or haste. After all gift giving is a tithing, a recognition, a way to say I care about you. It doesn’t mean the more gifts we give the more we will be loved, or the more we gifts we get the more loved we are. That way of giving and receiving is about filling empty holes in our soul.The problem is the well has a crack at the bottom and will never be completely filled, as we are looking in the wrong place. Sadly, It teaches our kids the same value. I wrote about this idea in last year’s December newsletter and it was a big hit, so I thought I would expand on the concept.

Here’s how Gift from the Heart works:

Do you have some ideas? Speak up! I have no idea if anyone is out there listening, but I love writing, so I don’t really care if I am talking to myself, but I want to hear from you!  Where are all you Feisty Females™? Why so shy?I know you are reading, I can see the stats.  It’s time to share your thoughts…are you ready? Here is my post a comment challenge.

The first 10 people to post comments and suggestions for the Gift from the Heart guide, on holiday ideas will get a little gift from me. I am not going to share what it is, but I promise it will make you smile. It  is created by one of my clients and it is just awesome. You can read about her in December’s months newsletter, which will arrive in your e-box on Tuesday. In order to receive your gift, I will need you to leave contact info with your comment, or send it to me directly if you would like privacy. When I see 10 posts, I will close the comment section for this post.

Gift UNDER $20: Today’s Gift from the Heart is my absolute FAV magazine. ODE. I literally savor ODE when it comes. It is my morning jump start. Just think, positive stories over breakfast, instead of fear and negativity? I gave 3 subscriptions for this holiday season, and renewed my own.

Ode
JPEG FROM ODE SITE

Here is a brief description as seen on their site: "Ode brings you a world of inspiration and hope, reporting on meaningful
stories of people, culture, environment, integral science & health,
forward-looking politics, responsible business, and much more."

22 Responses

  1. Hi Sheri,
    great ideas.
    My daughter & I have stumbled on a tradition that suits both our need to give & receive. My daughter just finished university so finances are tight. I send her gift certificates for her local grocery store- usually purchased with rewards points- inside a baking magazine. she buys her baking supplies & makes wonderful Christmas treats. She packages them up on a lovely white china plate as a gift for me. I get my baking done for me and a dish for my collection. and she gets to give homemade inexpensive gifts she made herself.

  2. Hi Sheri,
    I have never been one to get stressed about gift giving over the holidays, but I witness it in my mother and sisters and it seems to take the warm fuzzies right out of the holiday season!
    This year I have had fun making collages and calenders on shutterfly.com. It’s so easy and personalized. I would also suggest a “mother’s acting up” daily planner for 08, it’s a great planner that give’s little doable actions we can do for the world’s children each week. also, if you don’t have time to make handmade gifts, buy them from a local artist. and lastly (ok, this is several ideas..hope that’s ok), purchase a membership for the carbondale community food coop, which should be up and running at the beginning of the year. to learn more check out http://www.carbondalecommunityfoodcoop.org.
    Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth!

  3. Sheri – Your emails always seem to come at opportune times. What a great reminder to step back and reevaluate gift giving. I know it is something I struggle with every year. As a Mom, the questions and concerns that go through my head this times of year are:
    How can I find the “perfect” gift for the people on my list?
    How many presents do I need to buy to put under the tree to make it look just “right”.
    How do I spend the same amount of money on each child and have the same number of gifts? (and my kids are 21 and 25 and I’m still worried about this)
    What can I buy for each person so they have something to “play” with on Christmas day?
    Do I buy what’s on their lists or do I surprise them with something special?
    What can I buy that will surprise them?
    And, that’s of course, just the beginning. Does anyone else share this kind of gift giving stress? I have 2 knitting projects in the works for Christmas gifts but it’s harder to come up with handmade ideas for the men in my family. I have a tradition of making Challah braided bread for family friends for Christmas which I enjoy and my friends look forward to receiving. I celebrated my girlfriends birthdays this fall by having a jewelry making party with wine and chili. It took us two evening sessions but we had so much fun. It was challenging at first because my friends had trouble envisioning what they wanted their project to look like. But, by the second time, they had time to think about it, look in magazines, catalogs and what other people were wearing and therefore came to our second jewelry making session with a plan. Afterwards we all wore our necklaces out to dinner. It was fun to share my love of beading with my friends and see them each create their own design and feel good about their finished project. I’d love to hear other peoples ideas about gift giving for men.

  4. I normally have no extra money and make all my presents, which IMMENSELY stresses me out, even though I want it to be a positive experience, because I feel like I can only give a certain amount of handmade things before people’s houses fill up.
    Anyway, this year, I happen to actually have some money! But I’ve been thinking about how to give presents in a way that doesn’t just clutter up people’s lives, and is truly meaningful, both to them, and from me.
    The idea that I came up with that I like best is planting trees in their names. I haven’t done my research yet, to see if it’s better to have a park service do it for me, or if I can “adopt” a local tree for them (…one in a park with a bench near it?) or do it through the Arbor Day Foundation, or…?
    Anyway, I just really like that idea. Adding more green.

  5. I totally agree with you on all of this. This time of the year really stresses me out, but this year,for the immediate family (kids) we are giving things they need in their homes as they just moved away and are on their own. For the extended family, everyone is contributing an amount they can afford and the matriarch of the family is picking a charity to give it all to.
    This makes it a lot less stressful knowing what we give is helping!
    Oh…also…I just subscribed to ODE! Can’t wait for my first issue!!

  6. Here’s a post I shared on the Stroller Strides franchisee forum:
    Just wanted to share my big things come in small packages story…
    I continue on my Stroller Coaster of emotions as I attempt to introduce Stroller Strides to a very sparsely populated mountain town…conclusion, “it ain’t easy”.
    I had my panties in a wad last week, a writer doing an article on “Out of the Box Exercise Programs for Moms” for a local parenting magazine called and said she would like to attend class on the monday after Thanksgiving weekend. I had canceled classes Thanksgiving week and Black Friday because of zero attendance the week before, and even my friends were out of town. EEK! I rallied, sent emails advertising a free “Turkey-Trot-it-off” class with raffles, to the few contacts I have. After many sleepless nights, I resolved myself to the fact that I might be giving a personal training session to the writer. I rehearsed my talk stating, “this is a resort town and Thanksgiving is the last chance to escape before its either too expensive or impossible to get out of here because of tourism.”
    I sat in relative calmness in my little mall that now overflows with holiday commercialism and future consumer debt. Through the door walks one of the gals (Julie) from my GO, the one person that I picked as my “poster child”, the person that I felt would benefit the most from SS. She wore jeans as she did at the GO, her hair was freshly cut, courtesy of the Cost Cutters gift certificate she had won, her stroller has seen better days. When I asked where she has been these past couple weeks, she said it was a money thing, her husband had insisted she could get a free workout on their elliptical. She said she was going to ask for a punch pass for Xmas.
    Much to my surprise, I ended up with 6 moms including the writer. I put on my usual “high energy” workout with a touch of humor and introduced some new fitness toys, which they all loved! I also concluded the class with a little hand/eye cordination drill to help with mommy brain…it was great fun!
    Raffle time! Everyone got a small raffle prize and a goodie bag if they had not been at the GO. However, I made sure my Julie got the 10-punch pass, it was as if she had just won a car!
    On Friday, I didn’t expect Julie to show up as she works night audit at a hotel the night before. Another surprise, there she was, a little tired but smiling. It gets better, she said to me, “you would of been proud of me L.A., I have to deliver the bills under the doors of the guests, instead of bending over, I squatted!!!” She also added that her daughter was asking if they were going to SS on Tuesday when we don’t have class! That’s all I needed, my babyless, equipment ladened BOB stroller didn’t touch the ground for the rest of the hour. She and the other gal (that will be buying a pass on Monday!!!) were a picture of achievement for me, laughing and egging each other on throughout class.
    So while I’m not making huge montetary gain at this time and have little chance of need for crowd control, I have gained so much more by touching some lives in a way I never thought possible before Stroller Strides…
    L.A./Carbondale, CO

  7. Oh my Goddess…We have 5 posts and 5 fantastic ideas!! Ladies, your posts helped me understand why no one was commenting anymore.
    Insert blush here…Somehow the ultra comment privacy button was checked and most people had to join Typepad to comment. THANK YOU HOORAY! One problem solved.
    Your gifts have been ordered and should arrive to your mailbox by Christmas…New Years at the very latest.
    Ash, you wil LOV ODE!
    Let’s have 5 more!!! Bring em’ on ladies, invite your friends to post ideas. These are fabulous.
    Hugs,
    Sheri

  8. I’m trying to follow a little guide that I read about last year: Give ONE gift that the person needs, Give ANOTHER gift, something they desire and for the THIRD ONE, something you think they may like.
    I have one daughter that needs tea towels (so I’ll find funky ones), then she loves candles (easy enough) and I think she would like homemade soaps.
    Also you could have yearly themes… my sister is sewing flannel pj pants for all her kids (7) and their significant others, as well as the babies in the family.
    I love buying handknit socks and mittens (gotta learn how to myself). Homemade marshmallows will thrill someone’s heart. Or a beautiful glass plate with baking (given early enough to share with others and enjoy).
    I also make little scrapbook project for friends/family… or give supplies to make their own. Doesn’t need to be expensive.
    I love getting a favorite book that someone has read, or getting a brand new lined journal (reasonably priced and to me, a new inspiration for creativity).

  9. believe it or not I met a friend yesterday, Iran into her at work and she had been crying…the gift of time is priceless, we are both harried, especially this time of year but I was able to rearrange plans and meet her for 45 minutes and gave her an opened mind, a listening ear and a well needed hug.
    Now that I see this in writing, I have come to the conclusion this is probably just what my children need form me, even if the older two don’t realize it, I think I will surprise them with the gift of time!
    And thanks Sheri I just subscribed to ode magazine.
    I need to give myself the gift of time too.
    Carrie

  10. WOW! You did it…you posted!!! We are at nine, we need one more for our 10. Thank you so much.
    Your suggestions are wonderful. I am so grateful several of you ordered ODE. You will want to become an ODE missionary too.
    Can we do it? Can we get 10 today? Who will it be???
    Here are our winners so far…I will need each of your postal addresses. Please email them to me at sheri@sherigaynor.com
    9. Alyson B. Stanfield
    8. carriejostein
    7. Marrianna Dougherty
    6. Karen
    5. L.A.
    4. ashjoielee
    3. soggs74 t
    2. Nancy
    1. Tessa

  11. For my father and stepmother, who have everything, we have adopted the tradition of decorating their mountain home prior to their arrival for the holidays – we string the lights, hang the wreath, stoke the wood stove, put out a new bar of soap, shovel the walks, and anything else that we can think of to prepare their home. They have never really told us how much that has meant to them so last year we supplemented the decorations with some beautiful, luxurious white towels. It was only when they opened the towels at our house before heading up to their home that I realized how much they had come to expect and appreciate our efforts. My dad and stepmom were gracious when they received the towels but it was clear that they were totally unnecessary and what really mattered was coming into the warmth of their home. So from now on, we’ll resist the urge to join the consumer frenzy, put the credit card aside, and be busy decorating some evening before their arrival.

  12. Thank you LK…You are our 10th winner. The contest is now officially closed, but the comments remain wide open. I would love to hear more ideas.
    Please feel free to keep posting, this is rich material and much needed in today’s world.
    Thank you to each of you who took time today to share your thoughts. Your gift to me today, was making my heart expand, knowing that we can in fact change the world, one woman at a time. Namaste…Sheri
    Here are our winners as of 5:31PM MTN, 7:32PM EST.
    10. LK
    9. Alyson B. Stanfield
    8. carriejostein
    7. Marrianna Dougherty
    6. Karen
    5. L.A.
    4. ashjoielee
    3. soggs74 t
    2. Nancy
    1. Tessa

  13. Hey! My first time here (thank you for the invite Sheri!)…awesome art btw!!
    I’m not one of the first 10, but a gift from the heart…for my friend Becky who lost her daughter last year due to drugs – and who’s birthday would have been next Wednesday the 12th, my gift is a picture I found of Becky with her daughter Mary taken in a good time of their life. I believe Mary is gone physically but is very much close by, especially if kept in the heart.
    Nice site Sheri!!
    Mare

  14. PS… I’ve already received the best gift of the season. I arrived home very late Monday night after a long day of work, tired and hungry (somehow dinner had passed me by). Everything was dark except for a warm, welcoming pink glow beckoning from the heart of the house. All of my boys, husband, dog, and cat included were nestled in their beds. Diana Krall was playing softly on the stereo and the Christmas decorations were there to greet me including this strand of pink lights which cast this mesmerizing aura over our home. It was so entirely unexpected. Without Mom at the helm, the boys had found the decorations and proceeded to transform our home into something altogether magical. I was so deeply touched that the traditions of this season were somehow embedded within each of them and expressed in such a loving and caring manner. It was so much better than anything that I could ever have orchestrated, and I had the best meal of the season as I sat alone within that glow.

  15. I have taken some time this morning to reread all of your words. Each description brings tears to my eyes and hope that we can indeed change our world…one person…one family…one business,at a time. That is the greatest gift I could receive this year. Thank you for joining me. Keep posting!
    With gratitude,
    Sheri

  16. Hi Sheri,
    I only just had a chance to read your newsletter so I am not among the ten, but I wanted to write to say thank you for the wonderful ideas. This season, which should be about sharing and generosity and family has filled me with a sense of dread in recent years because of the senseless exchange of gift cards in my family. I am not doing it anymore and I was thrilled to see your suggestions. I also like to make donations in someone’s name…not all of my family have come around yet, but it works for me!!!

  17. Hi Sheri
    My friend Kate is doing Heifer International gift certificates (it must be on the internet somewhere, I don’t have that info) she is doing a $10.00 sponsorship for a small flock of chickens for each of her sisters in honor of her mum who passed this year and kept chickens. you can do a share in a cow, $50.00. a goat. $10.00 etc. Helps out people across the world. I thought it was a lovely idea
    Shan

  18. Don’t know if these are the ideas you or others might enjoy:
    A few fun homemade gifts I created in the past for kids:
    1. A snow man making kit:cardboard cut out black hat (taped a stick to back to stick in the snowman’s head)”Carbondale” biq coal for the eyes big button nose cut a long 4-5in strip of felt for the scarf
    My Gift from the Heart: I wanted something encouraging outdoor play/ inexpensive/ potentially easy to ship. Funny how when you put something out there you see it come back or circulate in the universe… several years later I saw it in a parent magazine–who knows where it started & who cares.
    2. I made a jingle bell “bracelet” out of pipe cleaners & bells & wrote a letter from Santa personally addressed to each child on my list. I included a bag of cookie making materials w/baking instructions.
    If they jangled the bells before bed on Christmas Eve & left a few of there homemade cookies they were bound to have a visitor.
    3. “Make and believe” that one can make something is the part of this “Gift from the Heart” that I enjoyed facilitating.
    *****************
    Love & Cheer
    Carrie

  19. It is so hard to do thoughtful gifts for kids, but I did decide to do a sort of re-usable gift for my kids and my nieces and nephews this year….I got each family a subscription to Netflix….this way they won’t buy needless copies of movies, they can rent all the movies they could possibly want and each child (and the parents) can pick movies….also since we all spend Christmas away from home, this doesn’t need to be shipped anywhere!

  20. Sheri, me dear sister, yatahe!
    I have much gratitude for you. For what you bring to the circle of life. I am grateful to see how you affect the lives of others in this www.
    A gift from the heart i share today is in words but not my words. This message is from a Spiritual Sister and i share them in honor of her gift to us and our families.
    Sri Amma Bhagavan’s
    Message on The Day of Relationships
    If only people learnt the art of experiencing each other, a very large number of families would stay intact. Otherwise, families would break up leading to the death of civilization itself. Breaking up could be an easier option, but definitely not the ideal solution. We have to put in our best efforts to make families survive; which means people must learn the art of experiencing each other and derive joy out of that relationship.
    If families dissolve, the individual would get fragmented, since he or she would be missing a mother’s love, a father’s attention, the care and security which a family could provide. Loneliness and pain being unbearable, people would seek unhealthy and degenerative forms of escape. Such a being would ultimately be the cause of fragmentation of society itself.
    If, on the other hand, you learnt the art of experiencing each other; no matter how different the other is from your expectations, that relationship would thrill you and nurture you. Experiencing the other, you would learn to experience yourself and in fact, experience life itself.
    All experiencing is bliss>>>