Peace Outside the Box

Speaking of new traditions, this year we are doing some different things for gifts. My son and DIL have requested that their present be given as a donation to their favorite charity, BARC, an animal rescue group from where they adopted our darling grand-dog daughter, Allison. I am giving myself a present of sorts (peace of mind) through a project at our foodbank. I have been working on a special food gift idea for a couple of months and dove in and set the work date yesterday.Yay! I will be gathering with other volunteers on Martin Luther King Day (January 17th) to assemble and distribute these gifts and we are hopeful that they will help feed hundreds. It is exciting. Becoming real. I think these gifts are going to turn out to be as attractive as they are nourishing, too.

Once Christmas Day actually arrives, the tree will stand there in all its glory, with the big boxes of yesteryear peacefully absent. But there will be plenty of "gifts" outside the box to share with each other: the peace of the season, hours together, good food and wonderful smells, a few sweet surprises in our stockings.

Back to basics. Sounds delightful to me.

This Red White and Food post is to encourage you to think outside the box, literally. Whatever you have a talent or passion for, give a peace of it away.