This Thanksgiving, I was sitting on a bench at the reservoir watching the dogs swim when I realized I literally have everything I want or could need in the world. I'm a pretty lucky guy. My sister and mom were with me, and I commented on it. They agreed, and then my sister added that she really din't want us to get her anything this year, as we'd already done a lot for her, rebuilding her house. Which led us to the idea than maybe none of us should buy gifts this year for each other: maybe we should do Christmas for someone less fortunate than us.
So to make a long story short, I have two good female friends, one of whom is putting herself through college, the other is married to a soldier. Both families are broke this Christmas, so we split our Christmas cash in half, and gave it to each family to buy gifts for their kids. This might just be the best Christmas I've ever had, and I'm not getting anything at all. I am ashamed to say that until this year I really didn't understand that giving really is better than receiving. It took me 44 years to figure out that all the goodies you get at Christmas are quite literally the least of it.
Merry Christmas, all of you. May you all get what you need!