Generosity

Do you know how to knit? Quilt? Draw? Organize? Cut hair? Offer to teach someone one of your skills or lead a workshop at your library or community center. Years ago, my friend Lesley shared her gift for making beaded jewelry. We spent several hours one winter afternoon with blunt-nose pliers from our local hardware store, squinting at tiny beads and wires, laughing at our mistakes, and enjoying each others’ company. Over the years, I’ve checked out many books from the library, and even bought a few I really liked, to learn additional beading techniques. Now I’ve made jewelry as gifts for friends, for sale, and for donation at charity auctions. The fun of creating something new, the sense of accomplishment at the end, wouldn’t be there without Lesley’s gift of generosity. Whenever I’m beading, sooner or later, I think of her. We fell out of touch when she and her husband divorced and she moved away. I hope we get back in touch.

	Faithfulness

Make a video or audiotape of family members, friends, or neighbors sharing a story of faith or trust. My cousin’s wife has a wonderful video of her grandmother doing a dramatic recitation of a Langston Hughes poem. Watching it has been a gift to us all. If you don’t have electronic equipment, interview folks and record their stories in an oral history booklet you distribute to all the interviewees. If someone isn’t willing to share, don’t worry about it — just take the stories of those who are willing. But giving them a copy of the finished product can still be a witness. Perhaps when you next ask, they’ll be ready to share a story, too. If someone wants to share a story from a different faith perspective, that’s OK, too.

	Gentleness

Try giving the gift of a gentle answer to people you encounter during your day. Often my tendency is to answer a sharp comment equally sharply. But when I manage to answer with kindness, it’s amazing how often this is reflected back to me.


 

	Self-control

Try making a disciplined sacrifice as you pray for someone. A couple of months ago, I gave up chocolate and shopping for a month as I prayed for two people. I found myself going for walks (which prevented me from eating chocolate and was good for me), reading the Bible, and calling friends more.




Elizabeth Hunter, a section editor for The Lutheran, attends Holy Family Lutheran Church in Chicago, where her husband Leslie is a creative and hard-working youth director. This Christmas, they're enjoying the gift of watching their son, Evan, 19 months, experience their family's Christmas traditions.

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