Day 28: Can't buy me love

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty. --Mother Teresa

My last two posts have focused on charities, which goes along with what the Advent Conspiracy calls "loving all" by giving to charity the extra money that normally would have been spent on overly-extravagant Christmas gifts for friends and family. The agape love exemplified in this charitable giving is a great way to share our resources with people around the world who are in need of our generosity.

But what am I to give my friends and family for Christmas, if not material gifts or gift-certificates? This is where the "give more" component of the conspiracy comes in. At first glance, it seems paradoxical to say "give more" by spending less money on what gifts I give.

However, I understand this concept as a call to give more than just something that can be bought off the shelf of any store.

As in more thought and care.

More quality time and attention.

More love.

Relational giving is more about being present with someone you care about than it is about buying that someone a present to show you care. It's the gift of sharing time together, or of creating something unique with that person in mind -- something personalized, like a piece of art or a picture or a poem. Or something that combines time together with creating something special, like cooking his or her favorite meal to eat together, or taking the time to teach your friend to do something that you know how to do, such as giving a fun skein of yarn and teaching your friend how to knit.

Here is a list of some more ideas for relational gifts. Any other ideas for this type of gift-giving?