2016 in Review
To be 100% honest, sitting down and writing this post intimidated me beyond all belief. How do you adequately express your profound gratitude for 365 days full of love, laughter and immense personal and professional growth? It feels as though there aren’t enough positive adjectives in the English language to properly acknowledge what an incredible year of my life 2016 was. The best I can do is reflect back upon the highlights of the last twelve months of my life.
Spotlight on Style – A Guide to Gifts That Give Back
Around this time last year, I shared a gift-giving tradition that we have in my immediate family on Musings on Momentum. The practice originally came from a place of down-to-the-wire holiday desperation but has become such a cherished part of our Christmas tradition that we continue it year after year.
As I reached adulthood I realized that the type of small, token gifts I was able to give my parents weren’t necessarily the best use of my money. By the time the holidays rolled around each year my parents had long since purchased anything they needed for themselves, and, like clockwork, I was left struggling to come up with ideas for meaningful Christmas gifts.
As a way to add value to my gift-giving, I began searching out ideas for gifts that give back. To me, a gift that gives back is one that directly helps individuals or the planet. You can achieve this aim by donating to charitable organizations in someone’s name, gifting specific items like food, livestock or medical supplies to individuals or to certain regions of the world, or by purchasing physical goods made by artisans from around the globe…the options are endless. You can check out the full guide I put together last year featuring additional examples if you’d like to delve deeper into the concept.
This year’s guide to gifts that give back is meant to act in conjunction with last year’s in-depth listing of ideas. Rather than examine worthy organizations and cooperatives you can choose to assist on a larger scale during the holiday season, I have put together a guide of specific gift options for loved ones, Secret Santas, and the random coworker you know nothing about yet have to come up with a present for, alike. There’s really something for everyone on here.
December Inspiration
Gratitude in November
To be honest, I nearly skipped writing a gratitude post this month. That decision had nothing to do with being unable to find things to be thankful for; it is the month the United States celebrates Thanksgiving, after all. Gratefulness is a national pastime come November. Rather, the presidential election still has me feeling a jumble of conflicting emotions that I’m having a hard time wading through.
However, three weeks post-election, it is more important than ever that we collectively attempt to come from a place of thankfulness and connectivity. It is for that reason that I am going to keep the tradition alive and share something a bit unorthodox that I have found to be grateful for in November.
