What do you remember most about Christmas past? It is most likely not the gifts you received. But more about special times spent with family and friends. Sit back, close your eyes and you may picture a magic moment or two which will bring a smile or a tear. Those are the gifts that last a lifetime.

I picture my grandmother on Christmas Eve sitting on the floor playing a toy organ we had, singing Christmas carols very loudly and off key. Then the next morning watching her tear open her packages and announcing at each gift how she would probably return it. We loved her anyway, she was a pip!

This brings me to the subject of re-gifting. Now most people would think this is tacky. But have you ever received a gift from a family member that was a cherished heirloom. I know many people will pass on a special piece of jewelry or a small trinket of no monetary value but of enormous sentimental value. This is a form of re-gifting when you think about it.

My uncle once sent me his old tube radio that always sat by his bedside growing up. He knew I liked antiques. But this was not just any collectable radio; it was my uncles whom I loved. The best re-gifting I ever received!

When Scrooge encountered the Ghost of Christmas Past, what did she show him? The happy times he spent with his sister followed by the Christmas party his jolly first employer gave. Rick and I would have a Christmas party for our Inn employees, plus our electrician, plumber, all the people that made our Inn run smoothly. The people we could not run our Inn without! Those are good Christmas memories. 

So this Christmas when we spend hours online ordering our gifts or doing it the old fashioned way, shopping at a mall! I know I’ll be doing it. But I may also go through my jewelry box and pick out a few items for future re-gifting. The radio…I’ll be holding on to that for a while.

The B&B Team wishes you all a wonderful holiday season; recalling cherished Christmas memories and creating new ones.

Thanks for Listening,

Janet Wolf