Now More than Ever

Tea: Mandarin Green with ginger and honey.

Music: Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "Almost Blue"

Time: Night.

I know ... we're in a recession, and every nickel counts.

But now is not the time to stop giving, even if the form the gift takes has to change.

I don't mean Christmas presents. I mean the things that keep people fed, warm, clothed.

No spare change to drop in a kettle? I'm not going to call you a liar. I've been there.

But you -- we, I, whoever -- can volunteer to serve meals. We can donate clothes. We can help each other look for work. Sometimes, we can just listen to someone who's facing a first holiday season without a job or a loved one -- or both.

It's a different and more intimate investment, giving yourself along with -- or instead of -- your money. But in the book I hold sacred, we're asked to give what we have ... even if all we have to give is ourselves.