It’s Christmas Eve, and I am a slacker.

Well, only a little, really. For the most part, I’ve got everything done: gifts wrapped, treats baked or canned, cards mailed, and my husband’s ridiculously awesome stocking mostly finished (more on that in a coming post!)…I just needed to write something. That’s what this is!

But then I remembered I also needed stocking stuffers for Jonathan, and so I put off the writing for a bit and instead braved the throngs at Target last night. It was insanity. The parking lot was crammed with cars, but surprisingly, no one was being cranky or rude about finding a parking spot. The store was a hive of people rushing around grabbing last minute gifts and wrapping paper, then queuing up for the registers…but again, no rudeness or arguing to be found. I was pretty pleased with humanity right about then.

Granted, my glow of holiday cheer may have been, in part, a result of an email I had gotten an hour before; a gleeful, CAPS-LOCK riddled note to let me know my package had arrived at Jeff and Laura’s house, ahead of schedule.

When I first asked Jeff for their address, he was a little confused. Understandably, of course. I am a person he’s never met, who lives across the country, and we had only just recently connected on the vast interwebs because of a shared admiration of Wil & Anne Wheaton and generally being nerdy.

For me, it wasn’t an issue. I love giving. Presents, service, time, money, whatever. To see the look on someone’s face when they see something has been done for them is priceless. Take my Dad, for instance. The guy is a total bachelor, and you can imagine what his bathroom is like. I’ll spare you the details. A few weekends ago, I figured it would be a pretty good “gift” idea if I went ahead and cleaned the bathroom for him. It wasn’t a big deal, I got some good exercise, and the satisfaction of seeing something messy converted into something clean. I was happy. When he came home and saw it, he was happy. Happy all around!

So, back to Jeff. He’s a pretty hilarious dude, and a rather snappy dresser. Man’s got some awesome sweaters, I tell you what. I enjoy reading his blog, and following his wit and sarcasm on twitter. We have decided that some day in the future, our two families will have to jointly embark on a JoCo Cruise Crazy trip, so we at least know someone there besides the celebrities who probably won’t hang out with us. I learned that he is on a mission to “nerd” his wife Laura, and I decided it was my duty as a fellow nerd(ette) to aid this mission. I chose my weapons carefully, boxed them (along with some tasty jam) and shipped them off to the Saporitos. I wasn’t expecting it to get there before Christmas, but thankfully it did! Mad props to the US Post Office this time. I was excited to see what their reactions were…almost, if not MORE excited than I am for opening my own gifts I see stashed under our fake tree.

I figure this is what Christmas should be about. Giving. Making someone feel good, and in turn, making yourself feel good for having done something good, or nice, or unexpected. It doesn’t have to be about gifts. Take the time to send a letter to an old friend, or visit a family member you haven’t seen in ages, or (if you just have to send something) send a surprise to someone who isn’t expecting it.

I did it this year, and I loved it. I will certainly do it again next year, but I won’t tell you about it.