Tis’ the Season

This is a guest post written by my daughter, Erin Rederscheid.

Tis’ the season of giving everyone! Malls are packed, postal services are open late, and people are busy trying to find the perfect gift for their loved ones. The holiday season is filled with material things and how many presents’ my budget can buy, but is that the true meaning of the giving season?

            We have things like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and blow out deals flooding our news feeds. We do see a little glimpse of the good in society on Giving Tuesday. Even though that seems to be the only time we focus on the right type of giving, and I am not talking about giving to the less fortunate (even though that is part of it). I am talking about giving to a person’s soul. It is so easy for all of us to fall into the pattern of want, want, want, and give, give, give. I fell into it even though I am writing this article. I told my Mom all I wanted for Christmas was an Apple Watch. But, is that really all I want?

            There are so many material things we want for Christmas! We ask for physical gifts. My brother wants a car, and my mom wants her favorite perfume. I want an Apple Watch, and honestly, who knows what my Dad wants. Dads are so hard to buy for, let’s be real. But that is precisely the point. He is my father, shouldn’t I know what he wants for Christmas?   As humans, we always long to feel loved and appreciated. A beautiful sentimental gift can do the trick, but there is nothing more special than human interaction. So, this year I tried a different approach to gift-giving. I did not get my brother a car, or my mom her perfume, but I gave my family presents that I knew that they longed for, but never would have the guts to request.

            This year I got my family gifts that hopefully will feed their soul, not their material wants. My dad will be receiving tickets to a St. Johns vs. DePaul University Basketball game. DePaul is the college my father attended, and basketball was our thing when I was growing up. Instead of getting him whatever material thing he longed for, I gave him an experience with me (that fingers crossed he’ll appreciate because I know I can be a pain in the butt sometimes), but also something I know he would never think or want for himself. Instead, it is something I know he needs. My mom, well, she will be getting this article (and another), and also a T-shirt with her blog’s logo on it. Something that I know she will never ask for, but something she will hold near and dear to her heart.

            The season of giving is a season meant to spread love and joy. As years go on and the older I get, the more I realize that society is losing that image. I do not know how many times I had to tell mom it was okay that dad didn’t have “enough” presents to open this year. It has never been about the quantity of the gift or the number of presents under the tree. Really what it is all about is you showing others that you love them, whether they are a direct relative, a homeless man on the street, or the barista that makes your coffee every morning. The holidays are about peace and joy, not about the present you pass on to another. So, remember that the next gift you give, or coffee you pick up. Hug your loved ones tight and tell them how much they mean to you when giving them a gift. Because there is nothing better during the season of giving than a simple thank you or I love you.

It is isn’t about the present, but the arms you get to wrap around you at the end of the night.