It's hard to believe the holidays are here and the end of the year is upon us. For me, I think it's not sinking in because I had such an incredible year and Im not quite ready for it to be over; I still have more to do! At the top of my list is ending the year by feeling like myself, and I feel most myself when I am giving love.

 To me, the holidays are not about gifts or feasting..they're about our relationships. Everyone is gathered under twinkling lights and festive feelings making this time of year so special and the perfect moment to open up. The set up is already there for us to express ourselves [eggnog always helps a little too] but  do a lot of us really use this opportunity or go out of our way to GIVE each other love? Simple, plain, expect nothing in return, sincere love?

What if for Hanukkah / Christmas / Kwanza / New Years / the Holidays we made it a point to really give love? We don't do this enough for each other. We say "I love you," but do we really show it? How much do we honestly thank each other or open up about how we feel? I think that the aggression, tension and injustice we have been experiencing in our society is the ripple effect of simply not acknowledging each other and could really be shifted by being more committed to giving goodness. If we genuinely complimented stranger, told our kids their dreams were important, forgave our parents for their shortcomings, thanked our spouses for their patience during our growth spurts, showed our friends how much we value them, said hello to our neighbors, or even left five minutes earlier so the person cutting us off in traffic wouldn't bug us a little more often.. we would all be happier as a community. We are forgetting to truly look in each others eyes, to really listen to what another is saying, to warmly hold each other during our hugs, to simply be a human and to genuinely acknowledge each other. We are forgetting to see each other. And, there is nothing that will make you feel more wonderful than making someone else feel wonderful about themselves. 

 WHAT iF WE MADE iT A POiNT TO GIVE OUR LOVES ONES BACK TO THEMSELVES THIS YEAR?

What if alongside a gift or even instead of a gift (!) we gave love. If we whispered in someone's ear "you inspire me," "I think you are so very beautiful," "you have such a good heart," "I admire your courage," "you've changed my life" or "I'm grateful we met." What if we gave our loved ones LOVE as a part of their gift? What if we gave them back to themselves? Reminded them of why they are so special and of how much their presence makes our lives better.  What if when someone told us how wonderful they think we are, we smiled and really listened? [Do we know how to take a compliment? Or are we shutting each other down because of our own insecurities?]  All of my small gifts this year are coming with Thank You cards. I am SO fortunate to be surrounded by amazing people and this year I want to make sure they know how much I value them. There are so many ways you can express in words what you feel [and I would love to hear how you express your love!] but do we ever actually express how we feel about one another, or do we assume they know? How cool would it be hear someone tell you the impact you have on their life, to know that they feel you make them a better person, or that they think you have the most perfect nose! It can feel uncomfortable, but that is exactly why we should do it- because we don't do it enough and we are no longer used to giving [or receiving] love. JUST LOVE. No competing, no comparing, no judging, no expectations. Just looking at someone for who they are and thanking them for it. [It can be hard to be a person sometimes. We all deserve to be honored for showing up in our lives.]

Have you ever done this? What would it mean to those you love the most to have you show them your heart? What would it mean for YOU? How would it change you to make other's feel really good about who they are?

There is nothing that will change your life more than this. Guaranteed.

It is the absolute most lovely feeling to give someone a piece of the joy you have for them. Especially if they don't expect it. How beautiful we can make these last few days of the year for our loved ones by showing them our hearts. 

So I think: Let's finish off this wonderful year and all we have accomplished by tuning into our souls and honoring the connections with the people special to us. Tell them. Show them. Surprise them. Nurture them. Share your soul with them. Give them back to themselves. They absolutely deserve it, and so do you. 

Wishing you the happiest of holidays, and more love than you know what to do with!