Christmas is the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ and yet over the past few decades the holiday (some say, “holy” day) has become more secular.

The malls are open but the stores are not as decked out because many of the investment banks that own retail outlets have their bottom line to watch.

This year, financial experts say that the soft economy is impacting the amount of money that can be spent on giving Christmas gifts to others but ironically, at the same time, the practice of self-gifting is growing rapidly.

Presents for yourself.

And retailers are tapping into this (remember, I said this whole thing has become more secular).  Apple is going to be joining lots of other companies with post-Christmas promotions aimed at the giver.  In other words, the 12 days of Christmas has become the 12 days after the 25^th when we can spend the money we got or saved at Christmas.

This is how it is, but there is another type of self-gifting that costs nothing and delivers great rewards:

• Give yourself a break.  Promise yourself many days when you get off your own back.  Perhaps the greatest gift of all is self-forgiveness.  We are human.  We do our best.  We can do better.  But we have done all we can for now.
• Give yourself an IOU.  Every time you do something well, make a significant accomplishment or handle a difficult promise, issue an IOU to yourself to redeem the next time you need a boost of confidence.
• Give your love.  We live in a world focused on being loveable, getting love or having more of it.  Start with yourself.  Let me help.  Finish this sentence:  “I love this about myself”.   How many of these can you come up with?
• Give yourself the gift of dreaming.  Everything good started with a dream from someone whether it is a relationship, a movement, a cause or a business.
• Give yourself the gift of hope.  Life without hope is actually death.  As long as we’re here and we’re on this earth, all things are possible.

Self-gifting at stores before and after Christmas can be fun, but if we’re going to give ourselves a gift, make it one that lasts for a long time to come.