gift giving

With the holidays comes the associated gift giving.  We're bombarded with sale flyers, television commercials, and pop up ads, as everyone and every store will come up with a way to entice and lure you to wanting and needing the "must have items".  And while it's very easy to get caught up in materialism, desiring fancy bobbles and high tech gadgets, I found this year that it's also surprisingly easy to steer yourself away.  I would be fibbing if I said the tree did not explode with gifts or that I stayed away from shopping.  But, the pressure of what to buy or what was inside the package seemed far less important this year.  Seeing our families mix and mingle, watching my niece learn to stand, seeing my best friend's pregnant belly, cooking (and eating) fresh baked scones, snuggling with my Nanny fireside, and laughing into the wee hours in the morning.... those are the best gifts :)  ~happy holidays~