What do you give the ones you love? It can be daunting to express the mountain of emotion you feel for someone with a single gift. As the season to celebrate love begins we have put together a short guide to help in the pursuit of finding the perfect treasure to celebrate the loves of your life.
An elixir of love can be anything given from the heart with conscious thought and loving intentions. The chemistry created with this type of expression creates an authentic token of love that is a true gift.
The gift of Wellness
A gift of wellness is an amazing way to show the gratitude and love to just about anyone in your life. When we think about intention, often times we overlook the beauty in giving something that promotes overall wellness.
The ability to take time away from hectic schedules and commitments, to slow down and nurture the body is not only a gift of relaxation, but also a gift of energy. I can’t think of one person I love who doesn’t need to recharge and renew their body to keep up with the frenetic pace of everyday life.
A Gift Certificate from your local spa makes this type of gift easy and possible. Spas typically have a variety of packages to choose from and many times offer the ability to customize a package for your loved one.
I adore picking out a candle, a new scented lotion, spa robe, eye mask or hot/cold neck pillow for those I love. Often, the simplest gifts can empower the people we love to carve out a little time to nurture and care for themselves.
The gift of Food
Traditionally, food has always been a way to show affection for our loved ones. The time and preparation of a meal expresses the depth of love we feel as well as providing one of the basic necessities of life.
Picnics are incredible gestures of love. They are unusual, whimsical and create a sense of intimacy in any ordinary day. Create the perfect picnic date. Plan it out, select something that is new and something that is a special favorite, or will be a reminder of a shared memory. If you live in a colder climate – bring the picnic indoors! There is nothing more romantic than having a cozy picnic in front of a roaring fire.
Cook together. It’s that easy. I’m not talking about cooking something extravagant – the idea behind this gift is the time and the creativity that happens when you are with your special love or family and friends in the kitchen. Think about it, the kitchen is where everything happens during a party or gathering – because of the energy and experience that comes together while cooking.
For the last several years a group of my favorite women have all agreed to not purchase anything for each other, and instead, pick an evening before Valentine’s Day to have dinner and ‘Celebrate Our Life of Love.’ We create the menu and the get together to cook, share and catch up on each others' lives and loves. It is always an amazing evening and has become a tradition that we all enjoy.
The gift of Time
At some undefined point, the tick-tock of the clock leaps forward into what can only be described as a warp speed tunnel. Once that occurs, we no longer have time to spare, or so it seems. As a result, time is one of the most precious gifts that we can give to those we love. Being present in each interaction, completely focused and engaged with our companion is the essence of this gift.
Spend companionable time with a loved one. Create a Skype session with your love that is far away. Expression is one of the best things about human interaction, so being able to watch a person’s face as they tell a story, or laughing together creates a deep satisfying feeling of engagement. Spontaneously stop in to have a cup of afternoon tea, or a glass of wine on your way home from work. The beauty of this gift is in the quality of time spent.
Finding a way to celebrate our many loves can be as exhilarating as the actual love we feel. It just takes a little bit of ingenuity and thoughtfulness to put together a gift of love.
