A good friend of mine recently lost her father. On his deathbed he told her his biggest regret was not having more time with his young grandchildren. Time. Something that is limited for all of us and our most precious gift to give. My friend took these words to heart and they have changed her life in a radical way (but I’ll save that for another blog).

Black Friday is coming up; just in time to save us lots of money on our holiday gifting! Drawn in by the hype or crazy deals, or by the sheer daunting weight and cost of our gift list we head to malls and big box stores to score huge deals. Others of us, less enamored by crowds and not willing to risk being trampled on will wait until Cyber Monday to order everything on our lists. We are going to buy it anyway, right?  Might as well get a deal?

But we have been here before. One short year ago. Crossing “stuff” off our gift lists, rushing, wrapping, giving and then finding most of it lying around the house weeks later, neglected, forgotten, even broken.  All that plastic packaging and pretty wrapping already settled into its new home in the landfill for a lifetime. Even before the new gifts arrived, we were already drowning in stuff.

But more and more we are learning that we don’t have to stay on the consumption treadmill. Folks in the Minimalism movement show us that less is more. Campaigns like REI’s #OptOutside remind us that there are more important ways to spend our Black Fridays than shopping. And even many traditional retail stores which have historically kicked off Black Friday on Thursday, are beginning to realize that many folks would rather be with family than shop are remaining closed for Thanksgiving.

This year, I invite you to consider not only skipping Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, but to reconsider your holiday gifting altogether.  Maybe you’ll want to start small, cut back on a few physical gifts for your kids, or pick a some friends or relatives you think this will go over well with. Or, maybe go gift-giving cold turkey and make a radical shift that others will notice! (When I changed my gift giving habits my husband noted a marked improvement in my stress levels around Christmastime.)

Time is precious but it’s such a simple thing to give. This holiday season instead of a toy that will sit in a closet or a tie that won’t be worn, why not try giving an experience, a class you take together or a gift of service; something that will create memories not be quickly forgotten. Give something that will really mean something- not a token. Brainstorm. It doesn’t have to cost much.  Let us know what you come up with. And if you need help with ideas, check out this great article by Wellness Mama. 

This year, give the gift of time.  Its something you will never regret spending when your precious time is up.