Time and Treasure for the Holidays

We celebrate Christmas in our household, and for the past few weeks, my youngest daughter has been asking me what she can buy me, what do I want? My reply has been vague, a quick “let me think about it.”

The truth is I really don’t want anything. I don’t need more stuff. Both of my daughters have told me they don’t want to get my usual gift requests of candles or soap or even socks. “That’s boring mom,” they say. One year I asked for a pair of “cool” reading glasses and they responded with “Mom, you are getting old.” For someone like me who refuses to give into my middle age status, that stings.

So what do I want?

I want time with my teenage girls—quality time. Perhaps a trip to the movie theater and a cup of hot chocolate after, a long walk at Shelburne Farms to visit the animals or even a trip to the bowling alley, (even though I don’t really like bowling). Time spent with my girls, my family and friends are at the top of my list this year.

Another big item is making a gift in my honor to a nonprofit that means something to me. As a member of the fundraising team at the Stern Center, one of my favorite things to do is to compose letters to the people who have gifts made in their honor. Gifts made in people’s names are gifts that keep on giving. It is heartwarming to learn that the gift made in your name is helping students succeed.

I know how much the Stern Center has helped both my girls when they needed it. So, I’m thinking that this year I will offer my daughters two gift choices for me—quality time with their mom, or a gift in my honor to the Stern Center or another nonprofit that has meaning to me. And if I am super, super good, maybe I will receive both.

 

Laurie Caswell Burke is a Major Gifts Specialist at the Stern Center. She is a writer and teacher. Skinny Dipping with Loons is her first book. She lives in Shelburne, VT.