The Best Gift of All
Everyone has a favorite part of the holiday season, something they look forward to the most.
For some, it may be the colder weather and snow. For others, it could be decorating and trimming the Christmas tree.
For me, it’s baking and sharing cookies and other sweet treats. I bake a batch of cookies most days in December to share with friends and neighbors and ship to friends and family who live far away.
I’ve been told over and over through the years that there’s something special about my cookies. The grateful recipients ask for my secret. “It’s nothing special,” I always reply. I just use the recipe on the back of the bag of chocolate chips. “Can’t be,” they say. “They’re different somehow.”
Looking back on Christmases past, I remember the family dishes that made the holidays special for me. My favorites were my mother’s baked ham and my favorite aunt’s peanut butter fudge. I looked forward to them every year.
After I grew up, I asked for the recipes so I could start making them myself. I used the correct ingredients. I followed the instructions. But I felt disappointed after each attempt because something was missing. They just didn’t taste like the dishes I grew up eating.
The Secret Ingredient
Maybe you’re known for something special you make or something special you do at Christmastime. Maybe you’ve been told year after year that no one makes it or does it quite the way you do. And that’s what makes it special. The way you cook, the way you decorate, the way you host, there’s just something special about the way you do it. And you probably already know what it is.
When you make something or do something in the spirit of sharing, your intention colors your efforts and elevates them. Ultimately, it’s not really about food, decorations, or celebrations. It’s about the energy and attention we give when we offer ourselves in love.
Christmas is the perfect time to bring this love to the forefront of our awareness. The season of giving and sharing makes it easy. Everywhere we turn there are reminders that Christmas is coming. The music, the lights and decorations, the spiritual journey of Advent, all help train our attention on the coming holiday and kindle our generous impulses.
After Christmas is over and the new year comes, it’s time to stow the seasonal items for another year. But the love can last all year long. The attention and intention that make Christmas special don’t have to go away when the holiday season ends. And they don’t even require special recipes or songs or decorations.
This year, when you dig out the decorations and find the recipes that have been passed down through generations tucked into the cookbooks that are worn and stained from years of use, you’re answering the call to share your love, to share yourself, to contribute in the way that only you can.
Just remember that you don’t need a holiday or any other special occasion to do it.
No matter the reason or time of year, the world always needs your love and care in the way only you can share them.
Blessings,
Rev. Teresa Burton
Daily Word Editor
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