Start by having fun

As we enter the holiday season, my husband and I have been spending time in the evenings watching holiday movies. Not many evenings ago, we looked at each other in the middle of one of these movies. We asked something we'd never thought to ask before. What could we do this year that we haven't done before?

Most people have done this before, often since they were children. But we realized there was one thing we had missed out on. We'd never built a gingerbread house, not even when we were raising our kids. We had to giggle at the thought. It sounded like fun.

Join with others

We'd recently been talking to friends who own a successful business. We have known this couple for years, and have supported one another through good times and challenges times. In recent years, we've replaced phone calls with a video chat because it's nice to see each other's face.

As we were talking, we shared the challenges we are facing and opportunities we are trying to create. Then we moved on to talk about the holidays and we told them about the gingerbread house.

Challenges are best shared

A funny thing happened, as we shared our excitement about our plans, our friends realized they also had never built a gingerbread house. So, we offered them a challenge, "You show us your gingerbread house and we will show you ours."

Something about the idea certainly made them smile. This is the advantage of a video conference: we saw everything. The two of them were beaming. And then, the husband leaned over to his wife and whispered in her ear.

"Do tell," I said, wanting to know what the secret.

They laughed and said, "We have a friend who builds marvellous gingerbread houses."

To which we replied, "Yeah, there's a bakery down the street that would love to build us a gingerbread house too."

The gift is in the giving

As much as we joked, we all realized that it would be more fun and mean more if we did the work ourselves. The essential ingredient in any gift is what we give of ourselves.

The gingerbreads houses were a particularly lovely gift because of the sharing. Each couple shared amongst themselves, and the couples shared with each other. That's double and quadruple the fun!

The next time we have a video conference, we will share our gingerbread houses. My husband and I have even upped the ante by agreeing to put on our Ugly Christmas sweaters. Plus, we have decided to include a winter wonderland photo or video.

Only Connect

The real gift of this season is having time with people we care about. The spirit of generosity and companionship we foster in this season can take us through the year to come.

So here is a challenge for you. This season find new ways to connect. Who can you ask to join you for some fun? How can you be supportive? Are there people in your life who could use a little extra kindness this year?

Warm Wishes

May this personal story inspire you to cherish time with all the people you love. We hope you will have fun and laugh a little too. And no matter what your age, take time to play. I'm sure we will be doing just that as we build our gingerbread house and look forward to seeing the work done by our friends.

Your Friends,
The UpCloseTeam