Do you remember what your loved one got for you last year?

Last night ABC’s Nightline had a segment called “Gift Amnesia,” and they posed the question…How memorable were last year’s presents. It seems that many people can’t recall last year’s gift from that special someone.

World Vision researchers in Great Britain found that half of men surveyed in England can not remember what their partners got them for Christmas last year and that around four in 10 women have trouble remembering that special present as well.

One of my first blogs here was about how I initiated a pact with my husband when we first got married 22 years ago that we will NEVER exchange birthday, holiday, anniversary or Valentine’s Day presents. We have never even given each other a card. I wish I could say my reasons for initiating this pact had to do with saving the environment, sorry, but it is really due to the fact I HATE to shop and I am the BEST at avoiding any and all stressful situations.

Plus, I learned from my childhood what makes a holiday memorable has nothing to do with keeping up with strict traditions and gifts you receive, but rather sharing a unique experience with people you love. Every year my mother faithfully would decorate our home beautifully, make a delicious meal and showered my sister and me with tons of great gifts. Honestly, all my childhood Christmas’ are a big blur. I can only remember vividly one Christmas growing up, and that was the Christmas when I was ten years old.

That Christmas my family was suppose to break tradition and for the first time go to Ft. Lauderdale, FL to visit my grandfather. At the last minute, my sister who was in college could not go because of some project she had to do for school. So my mother stayed back home with her and only my father and I went to visit my grandfather. That Christmas morning I woke up to no Christmas tree and no presents under them. The three of us headed out to the beach. The waves were great and we spent the entire day body surfing. We made sandwiches and had a Christmas picnic right on the beach. It was a simple, no fuss day, and it was my most memorable Christmas growing up.

I know my mom went to a lot of trouble trying to make holidays special and she stressed herself out trying to find all the perfect gifts to buy her daughters. I do appreciate it very much, but I know it is not the gifts that make a holiday memorable, it is the shared experience with the ones you love that make a lasting memory. Plus, I feel a gift does not reflect in any way how much someone loves you. While I was in our office typing up this blog this morning, my husband came in and asked me if he could get me another cup of coffee. Getting me a cup of coffee shows his love…not another piece of jewelry or a Hallmark card.