What’s your love language? I’ll let you in on a secret … mine has never been gifts in their traditional form (although I’m always touched when I receive them).

When I was growing up, my parents required that everyone in our family give gifts of love, especially at Christmas. There were very little rules; it could be the gift of time, repurposing something you loved, performing acts of service, something handmade (in whatever capacity) … anything your heart desired. The only “non-negotiable” was that it couldn’t be purchased; we

had to give a piece of our hearts … a piece of ourselves.

I come from a large family filled with creatives, so it wasn’t a hard ask. We didn’t have Pinterest back then, but we did have a mish-mosh of supplies, baking ingredients, and crafting treasures galore.

Yesterday I went to stash a memento in my memory drawer. (Yes … I’m a total sap and I’ve got a drawer full of items capturing special moments in time that make my heart smile!) When I opened the drawer, I took a few extra moments – as I periodically do – to look at some of the gems stored in there. In my musings, I happened upon two letters our older son gave me many years ago and I was transported back in time. Each was written at a different point in his life, and through both letters, he gifted me his heart. It was the sweetest, most magical moment.  

These are the kind of gifts that mean the most to me – and they become even more precious as the years go by. Because a gift of love is an intentional act. It’s about giving a piece of oneself, from the heart.  And receiving these gifts is beyond special.

I’m deeply thankful for the touching sentiments he wrote and was reminded once again of the gratitude I feel for the tradition my parents instilled … and that I passed down to our children.

This holiday season, I hope you find a way to gift someone a piece of your heart. And I hope that person, in turn, chooses to pay it forward with a gift of love to someone else.

In Gratitude and Good Vibes,

Michelle and the Creative Edge team

ps: stay tuned … we’ll be back at it in the new year with a fresh, new line-up of design-inspired articles!