Are You Ready for Christmas?

John’s recommendation for the perfect last minute gift

Several years ago, with Christmas nearing and Beth and I unable to make eye contact with our boys due to the hair covering their eyes, I loaded up the car and took the teenaged boys to get haircuts.

Despite their slumped shoulders as they entered and the soft-spoken answers they provided as she worked, the stylist could not have been sweeter to my boys. In thanking her afterwards for how she made them look and how kind she had been to them, she asked me a seemingly simple question: “Are you ready for Christmas?”

Now, I don’t think she was actually curious if my house was cleaned, the tree was up or the dinner rolls ordered. I don’t think she was truly interested if my suit was ironed, shoes were polished or if the last several weeks of Advent had prepared my heart for the final two weeks before Christmas. No, I think she was just curious if the shopping had been completed.

Whether in salons, stores or at office parties, we’ve all likely been asked many times if we’re ready for the holidays over the past several weeks. Although the question is both common and kind, perhaps a better question to ask ourselves is this: What is a truly worthwhile gift to give the ones I love this holiday season?

A partial glance at my kids’ lists that year included items like Lego sets, wooden bats, tennis shoes, ping-pong balls, lacrosse sticks, candy bars and gift cards.

So, which of those presents do you think were the most loved and which have long been forgotten?

For the past eight years I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing remarkable people from all over the world on our Live Inspired Podcast. One of my favorite questions- asked of more than 700 individuals- is this: “If your home caught fire, and all living things were out, and you had an opportunity to run in and grab one item, what would you grab?”

Practical guests grab their wallet, laptop or phone. The world travelers grab a passport or a suitcase. But the most common response among all my guests is a meaningful object gifted by a loved one, a picture taken that holds deep importance, or a special note from a dear friend.

So how does that help get us ready for holidays this year?

My friends, with just a couple days before Christmas, stay home. Keep the jacket in the closet and the credit card in the wallet. Let others fight the traffic on the roadways, parking lots and checkout aisles.

Instead of searching the stores for that perfect last minute gift, give your loved ones a gift that actually matters. Provide the gift of expressing your love in words- written or spoken aloud. Give a grandchild, partner, child or friend the reminder that you love them, that you are grateful for them and that your world is far better because of them.

I promise you it will fit, they won’t return it and they’ll be grateful for it always.

Because while advertisers strive to get you into their stores, be reminded that the most valuable gifts in life can’t be bought and are always freely given. Perhaps that’s what we’re really celebrating during the Christmas season anyway.

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.