Give a Little Me Time

In previous weeks, HPR offered ideas to tackle the daunting task of showing loved ones that you thought of them extensively this holiday season. With less than a week left to come up with a great gift that’s bursting with love and appreciation for the person on the receiving end, here’s the last installment of our guide to giving.

As a testament to our American love of all things that have a monetary value, we even created a colloquialism equivocating time with money. In the 1960’s The Beatles countered that idea in lyrical format, insisting that there are somethings that money can’t buy, namely love.

Maybe time is money and maybe money can’t buy you love, but it can be a huge investment into your relationships and even your health. In every relationship we have there is some common ground, some interest or passion that keeps us connected to one another, whether it be a sport, an art, a hobby or an idea waiting to be put to good use.

As the recent blizzard demonstrated, cabin fever combined with the tightening of purse strings all across the country means that we have to squeeze as much pleasure and fulfillment out of every nickel and dime that we possibly can.

For the most part, we are a stoic and pleasure-avoiding people in the Red River Valley (and possibly the wider American culture too). We feel we have to justify spending time and money on things like manicures, massages and me-time in general; however, this might be to our own detriment in more ways than one.

The Mayo Clinic website explains, “With seasonal affective disorder, fall’s short days and long nights may trigger feelings of depression, lethargy, fatigue and other problems. Don’t brush this off as simply a case of the ‘winter blues’ that you have to tough out on your own.” That’s an interesting point. Translated into the concept of gift giving, how do we give the idea that our loved one isn’t “toughing things out” alone?

Think back to childhood; remember the buddy system? Use it again during the horrible cold and isolating weather to spend time together, a demonstration that you care about spending time together and making sure they’re doing okay.

Obviously, a hair cut or tanning session isn’t a cure for serious depressive problems, but mood enhancers come in all shapes and sizes. If you were willing to spend the money on the gift card, go one further and book the appointment for the two or three or whole lot of you.

Nancy Rheault of Rheault & Friends Salon in Fargo says their private pedicure room has been very popular for girls night out parties: “we’ve even had some couples come in to get done up before a night out.”

Salon based treatments and activities, of course, aren’t for everyone, and not all holiday wishes come in boxes with bows and gift receipts. Anyone who has ever uttered the phrase “I wish I would have” is actually saying “I would have if I had a bit more encouragement.”

With that in mind, consider those “would haves” and think about making them realities—even the ones which due to age and ability might have seemed impossible. For example, John Bedore of USA Spirit Christian Tae Kwon Do Academy says, “The oldest person that I trained was 82 years old and had a knee and a hip replacement so [Tae Kwon Do] can really be adapted to fit anyone’s circumstances.”

“We also do lots of parent and child classes,” Bedore explains, “They can come in during any practice time that fits into their schedule, Monday through Saturday.” Improving quality time together through a gift like this can also double as a quality of life improvement—little Alex decreases the risk of childhood obesity and mom and dad decrease their own waist sizes and risks for developing one of the plethora of lifestyle related diseases.

Rather than thinking about your purchase this Christmas as being something that you swipe your card and are done with, why not make a bigger investment of time and thought into the health and well-being of our loved ones?

Although you may not be a classical pianist at the end of lessons or the next Karate Kid, and your pedicure won’t make you the next screen queen, you’ll have the conversations, the memories and the solid investment in that relationship with someone you care about.

It may not have appeared scribbled on a wish list, but as the song “Cat’s in the Cradle” demonstrates, these kind of investments are limited time offers, and you never know when they’re going to expire, so why not take advantage while the family and friend markets are still around to buy stock in.