Day ??: Who are you gifting?

Ok I've lost track of the days, BUT in my defense, this Friday is Reagan's birthday and next Friday is Christmas, so I'm a little panicked! Not to mention I have somehow gotten myself sick with a horrible chest cough, complete with wheezing..I sound like I have a hole in chest. On top of that we've been having major cable problems around here and some HUGE preschool sized temper tantrums...I think someone's been having too much sugar and not enough sleep!

BUT, no matter what, Reagan's birthday will come and go next Friday and shortly after Christmas will follow..so I'm trying to stay calm and get through the next few days of hacking my lungs out until the antibiotics I pilfered from Josh's last unused stash kicks in!

NOW, onto today's topic. I'm preparing a few last minute Christmas gifts for the office, Josh's office, the library (the Children's department is phenomenal and they do so much for the community in general!) and our families. There's really nothing much to the gifts--a bottle of lotion here, a notebook there, some cookies or bread--but I've learned, it's more the thought that counts, than the actual gifts (or even the quality of the cookies!)

There are so many people that make our day to day life so much easier, better, richer. Without these people our lives wouldn't be the same, and yet we take them for granted. Christmas is the time of year to say "hey, I'm thinking of you and I love you and I want you to know that your presence in my life is a true gift that I treasure year round."

The last couple of years I've given cookie platters and updated photos to Reagan's doctors and my OB--just to say, hey I'm thinking about you and I appreciate you in our lives, you make them so much better. Last year I dropped off a cookie platter to our local Kroger pharmacy because they are ALWAYS there for us...Reagan has been on tons of medication her entire life and whenever I'm feeling a little harried or upset and worried, a quick talk with the pharmist or the technicians can make me feel so much better. They were absolutely beside themselves that someone had thought to bring them cookies---no one had ever done that for them before...and yet those are just a few of the people that make our lives so much more the better.

I know it seems like there are tons of people to think about around Christmas, but with a little preparation and planning, you really can tell everyone how much you care about them. And remember, it doesn't take much...some cookies, some pumpkin bread, a bottle of lotion from last year's clearance rack (they keep well!) with a pretty ribbon and a simple "Merry Christmas!" can make all the difference!