Christmas Gift Giving

We have all heard the song, “On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….”.  Did you know that the twelve days of Christmas actually starts on Christmas day and finishes on January 6th which is the Epiphany, the day the three wise men supposedly arrived on the scene?  I always thought it was the twelve days before Christmas.

Even though it is pretty uncommon for people to actually pursue this tradition today, I thought it would be a great Christmas gift for your lover, finance or spouse.  I am not thinking of a partridge in a pear tree.  I am thinking of giving your partner something everyday that they would most appreciate and show them how much you love and value them. 

Do you know that when I have couples do the “What do you need to feel valued and loved this week?” exercise, they never ask for things.  They ask for non-monetary gifts such as respect, affection, or time and you can too. 

What if you created a special gift this Christmas for your partner giving them what they want most?  Here’s an example of some things you might consider:

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me eight favorite love songs, seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me nine hidden sticky notes, eight favorite love songs, seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ten minutes of sharing, nine hidden sticky notes, eight favorite love songs, seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me an eleven minute back rub, ten minutes of sharing, nine hidden sticky notes, eight favorite love songs, seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me twelve long-stem roses, an eleven minute back rub, ten minutes of sharing, nine hidden sticky notes, eight favorite love songs, seven compliments, six chocolate truffles, five great big hugs, four tender kisses, three Hallmark emails, two chore coupons and a dance to “our” favorite song.

All total you would give to your partner:

12 dances to “your” favorite” song (1 for 12 days)
22 chore coupons (2 for 11 days)  Make each coupon worth 15 minutes so it doesn't get overwhelming which would be 5 1/2  hours.
30 Hallmark emails (3 for 10 days)
36 tender kisses (4 for 9 days)
40 great big hugs (5 for 8 days)
42 chocolate truffles (6 for 7 days)
42 compliments (7 for 6 days)
40 favorite love songs (8 for 5 days)  You could easily burn 5 CDs of 8 songs each.
36 hidden sticky notes (9 for 4 days)
30 minutes of sharing (10 minutes for 3 days)
22 minutes of back-rub (11 minutes for 2 days)
12 long stem roses

Think of what your partner would want most.  Or sit down and write one together giving each other what you want most as a couple.  Be creative. I was inspired by an article by Sheri and Bog Stirtof.