Tag: holiday

Give Nothing for the Holidays Except Yourself

Life, My Community, Photography

It is that time of year again when we turn our attention to purchasing gifts for those we love, to acknowledge their place in our lives and to say how much we love them. It’s a joyous activity for many; It is a classic dilemma and typically the source of much stress and consternation for most.

If you are as old as me, there does come a point though when many of us decide we have enough stuff and ask not to receive anything material again. Although I still like to hear about toys as much as ever, I’m there – I don’t need to own them. It’s a bit of an odd feeling. Yet somehow appropriate as you head toward your twilight of life.

Instead, I’m suggesting a new approach this year. Making yourself the gift. I don’t mean anything cringeworthy. Instead I’m talking about the gift of your time. If you are as old as me, it is now the one thing that means everything.

Continue reading “Give Nothing for the Holidays Except Yourself” →

Gift Giving – 2024 Edition

Interesting Stuff, Life, Photography

Can’t believe it’s that season again – when we all struggle with trying to decide what to buy for those who are closest to us. We want to celebrate their importance to us and to celebrate how we feel about them. Apart from dealing with the commerciality of the season, this end goal is really, really hard because it means so much.

Gift giving seems to go through a variety of transitions over our lives. We go through phases of gift giving – initially, we give gifts that say something cute to a new friend or romantic interest but may just be a trinket or token; we then move to gifts that are trendy because everyone wants one; eventually, we indulge in financially more expensive gifts that say “you deserve this” and then, when we and our loved ones have all the stuff we need, ultimately, we look for gifts that are more personal, less commercial, perhaps even made with the hands of the gift giver.

At this stage of my life, I’ve come full circle around gift giving. Most of my family and friends have as well. What to do for those who really don’t need more stuff? Here are a few ideas.

Continue reading “Gift Giving – 2024 Edition” →

Happy New Year and New Decade

Life, Photography

Just a quick note to wish everyone a very happy New Year.  It’s hard to believe we are at the start of the third decade of the millennium.  I still remember where I was and the worries of throwing the switch on the year 2000, when it was expected that everything electronic would meet an untimely end.  It didn’t and our lives have improved (or worsened, depending on your point of view) for all that technology has brought us.

The first iPhones and tablets.  Digital cameras became mainstream for consumers like you and I.  Our homes became smarter and are still learning.  So are our cars.

But with that comes the responsibility of managing our growth for the good of all people, indeed all life, on this planet.  That we still need to work on.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com
Photo by Designecologist on Pexels.com

May your year be full of promise and joy, and may it bring you everything you could possibly want.  I thank you for your support and encouragement, and look forward to sharing more conversations with you in the weeks and months to come.