Remembering my grandfather, I think first of his generosity. As young boys, my brother and I waited all year to see his giant Chrysler station wagon (wood paneled), loaded with Christmas gifts, pull up in the driveway. After becoming a young widower, giving gifts made him happy. He loved to find treasures for us at FAO Schwarz and then watch us enjoy them. Gifts for our mom were fancy, pretty stuff that she put up high, out of our reach. Pop gave good gifts.

Sharing plants is more than just sharing the organic material. It is sharing a living connection with family, friends, and neighbors. Geoff Ledgerwood’s roots are in rural Washington state. It’s there that he inherited generational wisdom about the neighborly practice of dividing plants. 

“The best thing you can find at a garage sale isn’t a bargain—it’s community.”

Each spring neighbors open their garages and cover their front lawns with tables full of treasures. Garage sales are commonplace events. But for The Knolls, Cherry Knolls, and Tiffany neighborhoods, located in Centennial, an annual Neighborhood Garage Sale has become a cornerstone of community life.

Giving gifts is a practice rooted in the Christian Scriptures and spans cultural traditions. Gift giving was a practice in ancient Rome around the winter solstice. The celebration of the incarnation was established on December 25 in 336, connecting the Biblical story of the gifts of the magi with an ancient tradition of giving.

“Halloween is a boo-tiful day to get to know your neighbors.” says Kristin Schell, founder of The Turquoise Table. There is no other day of the year when more neighbors knock on each other’s door. Halloween is a unique opportunity to show hospitality to your neighbors and neighborhood.

The text message from my neighbor came the weekend after he and his family moved out. “Can I borrow your mower tomorrow? If not. That’s ok.” He needed to mow his yard before the new family moved in and had already moved all the tools from his garage. “Absolutely. I’ll have the battery charged.” I replied. It was a punctuation mark on two years of lending tools to each other while he lived on our street.

Gratitude for delivery drivers cultivates hospitality for all those who serve us in unseen ways.