Gifts

For the first time in my life, I woke up all alone on Christmas.  And it wasn’t horrible. There were some good things about it.  I knew all my loved ones were with people who cared about them.  I was in my own home – safe and peaceful.  I had presents to open, kitties happily fed and sleeping in warm spots, and “A Christmas Carol” (the Alastair Sim’s version) on my DVD player.  And I knew every penny I saved by not traveling this Christmas would help us reach the Lavender Festival & Canada this summer.

Safe and Warm at Home

I got some lovely gifts this Christmas wrapped in pretty paper, some handed to me by students and friends and others delivered by mail.  The ones that seemed to be especially chosen for me touched me.  There was a lunch bag that came in a “Cat” bag with a “Cat” card because a student remembered I liked cats & bring my lunch to school every day.  To remind me of my goals, I received an “Animal Sanctuary” calendar and a lavender sachet from a dear friend.  And there were handmade gifts, special cooking herbs, and a Barnes & Noble gift card (Is there anything better than starting a new year with a new vegan cookbook?) from my Mom.  But not all my gifts came in boxes.

Like my colorfully wrapped presents,
the trees at the gardens have been "wrapped" in amazing colors.

This gift didn’t come in a box but on the phone.  There was a “Merry Christmas” message from a friend left on my phone on Christmas Eve.  I knew she was having a special Shabbat dinner that night and she took time to call me and send her love.  She had already given me a beautiful crystal heart for Christmas but it was the gift of her own heart that has meant the most to me.

It isn't the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it. 
~Quoted in The Angels' Little Instruction Book by Eileen Elias Freeman, 1994

This gift wouldn’t fit in a box.  It was a walk in the gardens with my housemate before she left to spend Christmas with her family.  The rain had stopped but it was a cool and crisp morning.  Everything glistened with droplets of water.  Amazingly, after days and days of rain, there were still roses and other flowers, but there were also gorgeous mushrooms, colorful leaves, and stark branches making patterns against the grey sky.  Spending time in a beautiful place with a true friend is a perfect gift.

Delicate Beauties

Strangely Beautiful

Beautiful Bare Branches

Translucent Beauty.

This gift would go bad in a box.  It was spinach dip I actually made myself – a veganized version of a family recipe.  And it wasn’t really the dip that was the gift, it was the connection to my family.  I thought of everyone of them.  I pictured them opening presents, eating comforting food and treats, laughing and playing games.  And yes, it made me a little sad that we weren’t together but it also gave me great pleasure to be reminded of how much I love them and what amazingly wonderful people they are.  I don’t have to be in the same house with them, for my family to be a very special gift.

Vegan Spinach Dip

Vegan Spinach Dip Recipe

1 container of Follow Your Heart Vegan Cream Cheese

1 cup Follow Your Heart Vegan Sour Cream

1 Cup Reduced Fat Vegenaise ®

2 bags fresh spinach (chopped)

3 cloves garlic + 1 TB olive oil

1 package dry vegetable soup mix (vegan)

1/2 small red onion (chopped finely)

1 can water chestnuts (chopped finely)

Directions:

• Mix vegan cream cheese, sour cream, and vegenaise (use any brands but these are my favorite) with the vegetable soup mix, chopped onion and water chestnuts.
• Sauté the spinach with the oil and the garlic (you can use frozen spinach but I think fresh tastes better).  Allow garlic/spinach to cool and mix with other ingredients.
• Best if allowed to stay in refrigerator for at least 2 - 4 hours (or even more!)  

The great thing about gifts that don’t come in boxes is you get them all year.  I get them from my students, my family, my friends, my pets, my life, strangers, and even myself.  There will be that student who takes extra effort to create a science poster so beautiful I will want to frame it.  There will be Sunday phone calls with my Mom where I get to hear all the “news” of our family.  There will be lunch with a friend who loves to talk about education and improving our craft and never seems bored by my plans and discoveries.  There will be a warm, purring cat snuggling next to me on a cold night.  There will be the admissions lady at the garden who smiles and waves me in the gate because she “knows” me now.  There will be the companionship of watching “NCIS” and “The Big Bang Theory” with my housemate.  There will be tap dancing classes starting in January and continued efforts to getting stronger and healthier.  And this summer, there will be a road trip with people I love to one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.  So, even though I am not spending Christmas in the same house with my family this year, (and even though I’m more of a “cultural” Christian than an actual Christian), I am still filled with gratitude, joy, and peace on this Christmas Day.  My gifts are plentiful this year and the best are yet to come.

As for updating my goals, with all the celebrating and treats, I think that I'll save that for the new year.  But I will add more pictures from the garden.