We are entering a season that offers us opportunities for celebration and honoring tradition. Gathering with family and friends reminds us that we must nurture relationships if they are to thrive. The ritual of giving is a reminder to others of their importance in our lives.

The season also invites reflection, and it's a good time to reflect on the act of giving. Why do we give? What do we give? How can we give more consciously and intentionally?

I remember a holiday gift-giving for a two-year old that left the room littered with enough gifts to overwhelm several children. Some of the gifts were not age appropriate and others reflected the needs of the givers more than the interests of a two-year-old. One grandfather gave a toy that he himself had wanted as a child, not stopping to consider that his grandson was several years too young for the gift and two generations removed from the grandfather's childhood dreams.

During this season and throughout the year, I ask myself these questions about giving:

• Am I giving out of obligation or because I truly wish to give?
• Will this gift have meaning for the recipient?
• What values does this gift convey?
• What messages am I giving a child with this gift?
• Will this person appreciate a gift of my time more than something I can purchase?
• Am I choosing this gift so that I can check this person off my list and move on to the next?
• Will a gift given at another time of year be more welcome than one given during this season?
• How soon is this gift likely to end up in a landfill?

Giving ourselves the gift of time for reflection increases the likelihood that the gifts we give will bring pleasure to those who receive them and greater satisfaction to us in their giving.