Mrs. Teabody Suggests Releasing Your "Bah Humbug!"

Lovely Erika allows visions of Sugar Plums to dance through her head.

Good Morning, Gentle Reader! If you are unfortunate enough to live anywhere else but here, perhaps you are unaware of the positively balmy weather being enjoyed this first week of December 2013. At present the thermostat is registering an outside temperature of 47 degrees. Mrs.  Teabody ran errands yesterday afternoon not even wearing a jacket, and she was quick to note folks outdoors hanging greens and lights as they prepare their homes for  this most generous of seasons. Of course, if you ARE fortunate enough to live here, you are also aware that whatever the current weather is, it will change, and all too soon your teeth will be clattering together like castanets from the cold. But this is not a day to borrow trouble, Gentle Reader. This is a day to cut loose that stubborn little part of you that may keep you from enjoying this festive season.

Mrs. Teabody suggests giving and before you dash to stand on your soapbox to rail against the commercialization of Christmas, do take a moment to listen. GIVE. Yes, undo that tightly wrapped life-giving vessel you call your heart and think about what those who love you, need from you.


Definition of give in English

1.  freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone); hand over to:
They gave her water to drink

2. bestow (love, affection, or other emotional support):
a. His parents gave him the encouragement he needed to succeed.

3. hand over (an amount) in exchange or payment; pay:
How much did you give for that?

Money does not even enter the discussion until the third definition. First and foremost is to transfer the possession of something to someone. Look at the first two examples: water to drink, encouragement. Both of these cost the giver nothing but they may be life-altering to the recipient. Perhaps you are sitting at your computer reading this with your fists clenched right now like some Twenty-first Century Ebenezer Scrooge.  Mrs. Teabody may even have heard you say, "Bah Humbug."  Mon Dieu! What excuses are running through your mind for not taking a moment during this season to reach out to your world and  give such gifts: water to drink, encouragement?  On Thanksgiving morning as she checked her scandalous amount of unsolicited E-mail, Mrs. Teabody saw the name of a young woman who has always had a special spot in Mrs. Teabody's heart. Opening and reading the brief letter filled with love without the word love ever being mentioned was a great gift, and that gift packs the same emotional wallop this morning as it did when Mrs. Teabody first read it.

What does it cost to pick up a phone and make a call to someone who is waiting to hear one kind word of encouragement from you? What does it cost besides the price of a stamp to pick up one of those Christmas cards charities have been sending you and  to dash off a Christmas greeting, a fond Hello, a thinking of you message to someone who has made your life brighter whether it was thirty years ago or  just yesterday? Whose heart may be healed by these simple acts of giving? Perhaps it will be your own.

Yesterday TYF was as busy as a beehive in summer as folks came by to purchase special presents. Grandmothers delight in anything that will bring a smile to the faces of their beloved grandchildren. "Look at this," she'll say as a stuffed giraffe sings."Brandon adores giraffes."  Mothers want to please their adult children. "This will go so well with her  red hair. She looks so pretty in this color." "This is her birthstone. She loves garnets." Lovers new and well-seasoned want a present that strikes just the right chord. "I think my wife has mentioned a few things she wouldn't mind having. . ." Mrs. Teabody does not need to remind folks like these about giving. Heavens, no.  Their hearts are open. Love emanates from them  like the rays from the sun on a child's drawing. All of those seeking to give a physical gift spent time choosing their gifts, and each gift was chosen with love and a desire to please the recipient, to say I love you; you are important to me. As Mrs. Teabody wrapped each present, she thought about how delighted each person would be when  he or she opens the gift. Mrs. Teabody herself ADORES presents and  hopes/knows that there will be at least one present under the tree on Christmas morning that will be a complete surprise. No "Bah Humbugs" from Mrs. Teabody. Not now. Not ever.

 Ebenezer Scrooge decided to change his heart after being visited by three ghosts: past, present, and  future. Once he unbound his heart, he understood the importance of giving whether it is a glass of water, some words of encouragement or  a brightly-wrapped gift.  Perhaps like Mrs. Teabody you adore the colorful wrapping around the surprise, a mystery just waiting to be uncovered, the physiological response to thoughtfulness and love-- a fullness through the heart . . .

"You remembered." "You knew." "I LOVE this."

Mrs. Teabody hopes you, Gentle Reader, will give one perfect gift to someone you love this Christmas.

Embrace the season!