Behold half of our merry gatherers for our Friendsgiving this year. The couple across the table from my husband and I are longtime friends who’ve hosted us for Thanksgiving for a dozen years. They allowed us to reciprocate because they’d recently returned from three weeks vacationing in South America. Pisco Sour, anyone?

Nope, we drank wine.

There were other folks at our gathering, though they’re not pictured – and I delivered meals to a friend whose husband had been hospitalized until recently. Our congenial group had a grand time. Conversational topics were eclectic and sometimes humorous, but never about politics. It was an all-around good vibe.

The camaraderie was ineffably good.

My husband and I enjoyed leftovers for a couple of meals, so the holiday hasn’t ended… until now as I eat the final slice of apple pie to fuel my writing. There’s still plenty of pumpkin pie, about which my husband is ecstatic. It’s one of the few desserts he relishes. He’d eat it year-round if it was available.

I disavowed the Black Friday Amazon sales, though I did scour other online shops in search of extraordinary gifts for my loved ones. What buys I found! if my friends and family are half as excited as I am, they’ll be well-pleased with their gifts. Besides, there’s love inside each gift bag or box.

Love powers relationships.

It’s Gift-giving Tuesday, Constant Readers. Get out your wallet, checkbook, and/or credit cards. It’s time to extend the good vibes of Thanksgiving, flashing cash across the known universe. Worthy causes abound, both here and abroad. Jesus said, “The poor will be with us always,” and we are honor-bound to give from our abundance.

The giving need not always be monetary. Good deeds done well, appropriate to your friend or family member’s needs, suffice: pet-sitting, grocery-carrying, and anything you think or feel is relevant to fill another’s needs.

Extend the good vibes of giving throughout the world throughout the year.