In years past, my BoomerGuy and I would shop till we dropped, then wrap all the presents and deliver them for the siblings, their husbands, nieces and nephews, grandparents, grandchildren, friends, and the list goes on and on, though it’s hard to believe there could be any more recipients.
So, as we find ourselves ‘putting the wraps’ on this decade, we gave some serious consideration to gently stepping on the brakes on the tradition we just described above, and slowing it down. It’s not that we would forego the idea of gift giving for family and friends, it’s that we had another idea and priority for Christmas 2019.
As you know by now, my parents who are both in their 90’s and who we lovingly call the “senior-seniors,” are residents of a skilled nursing facility here in southern California. While we thoughtfully shop and give to my parents, this year in lieu of giving to each other, we wanted to go all out and give special gifts to the fabulous nursing and support staff who provide such great quality care throughout the year. Now that is a shift, giving to people who give so unselfishly to us, but then isn’t that what Christmas is all about—the art and reward of giving.
Here are a few photos of the all the gifts we prepared for the various nursing staffs, front desk personnel, maintenance, laundry, kitchen craft, social services, and a number of individuals who stand out on a daily basis, each with their own personalized greeting and thank you card. I would say about 35 gifts in total. On a scale of the really expensive, these gifts are not. But they are thoughtful and meaningful, and it gave Bill and me a tremendous amount of joy to do this for these fine people. Phew! It was a lot of work, but very gratifying.
You need to read the next blog to understand just how meaningful this effort was. But for now, here are several photos of all that we did.
BE A HOLIDAY BOOMER, AND GIVE THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS
AND, BE YOUR OWN KIND OF BEAUTIFUL
