A Curious Christmas (Part 3)
The Giving That Costs Nothing
By now, December has a certain weight to it.
The lists are longer.
The days feel tighter.
Even good things can start to feel like too much.
It’s the season of giving –
and yet, somehow, also the season of exhaustion.
I’ve been noticing how easily generosity
becomes another task.
Something to organise.
Afford.
Get right.
But there are other kinds of giving.
Quieter ones.
The kind that don’t require
planning or wrapping or receipts.
A pause before replying.
A door held open.
Listening without trying to fix.
These are the gifts that rarely get named.
They don’t travel far.
They don’t announce themselves.
And yet, they change the feel of a room.
I think of how the Christmas story unfolds –
not through grand gestures,
but through availability.
People showing up without certainty.
Staying close when it would be easier to step away.
Offering what they have,
rather than what they wish they had.
Time.
Attention.
Presence.
This week, I’ve been wondering
whether generosity might be less
about what we give,
and more about how we give ourselves.
Not from excess.
Not from pressure.
Just from where we already are.
It turns out, some of the most meaningful things we can offer
don’t cost anything at all.
A small invitation
Notice one moment this week where you could give without spending –
a little patience, a bit of attention, a softer response.
No need to make it significant.
Just see what shifts when you offer it freely.