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Even though the Christmas season will eventually end, it doesn’t mean you have to stop giving.
Often during the Christmas season, we can build out lists of things we want to achieve, people we want to connect with, things we want to send to them and end up living the last final weeks of the year at such a frenetic pace that we fail to rest and really take stock of the season that we’re in. I want to encourage you to not spend so much time and effort focused on getting everything done regarding gifting things to people, sending things out to clients, and instead take this same spirit you have in this season and extended it through into next year.
There’s no need to stop gifting just because Christmas is over. In fact, showing people that they’re on your mind and on your heart through into next year is just as effective, if not more so. Enjoy this Christmas season and understand, regardless of when you give gifts, especially to clients, it’s going to be a memorable occasion, no matter how far past December it is.
I learned this when I was a jail chaplain. We would have Christmas cookies baked for the inmates and along with those cookies, they’d get a really small lined little refill pad and a pencil. It amazed me that even towards the end of February into March, sometimes even April, they would be thanking me for these gifts, still letting me know they enjoyed writing with the pencil and showing me the notes they’d made in that little pad. This was three or four months later, after Christmas! It really showed me how even giving a simple gift really makes an impact on people when it has come from the heart and you’ve said it and delivered it in such a way that they genuinely know that you care for them. And that doesn’t stop just because Christmas does.
Take some time to schedule activities you want to do to show clients, and other friends, that you care for them throughout the year. So,
- Make a list [of people you want to acknowledge in the coming months]. Don’t just cram everything into this Christmas season, hit Christmas fatigued, and then limp into the New Year, hopefully having thought of everyone you need to.
- After you’ve made a list, [figure out what meaningful gifts you want to] send out to these people, but segment them and stretch them out over maybe the next three months. Let people see that they are top of mind, not just because a certain season in a certain time of year hit your calendar; they’re top of mind and in your heart because you genuinely care about them all of the time.
- Take these steps, and write a little note [to accompany the gift], and send them something letting them know that you really appreciate them.
That way you’re not only going to show them that they are top of mind and extend this Christmas season into the New Year, you also have the opportunity to actually catch your breath. Enjoy Christmas for what it is: us receiving a wonderful gift that changed the planet. Take some time just to remember that, and remember those people who are most precious to you, and those people who you most need to show how much you really truly appreciate them.
Have a wonderful Christmas, have a safe New Year, and I look forward to being back again with you in 2021.
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