How many people settle for a 'Me too' that is supposed to suffice?

If a person rarely says, "I love you"; spontaneously, does he or she really feel love?

Actions, not words, are what really count. Intellectually, we know that. A wife or husband or partner who cooks wonderful meals day after day is showing love. But words are the seasonings that enhance the daily menu.

In a season where we shop till we drop we are too likely to forget what a gift it is to stop and take a moment to take a partner's hand and speak a little love.

Then there is the Santa Syndrome where chasing down a child's wish list leaves little time for quiet one-on-one time where words of praise and love are worth more than the latest Play Station. Which gifts will last a lifetime?

Will our workplaces have a year-end bonus? Will they have some words of appreciation for all the efforts and loyalty? The compliments don't have to flow only from the top, they can go up and they can be shared with co-workers. When was the last time you heard encouragement or compliments? Ever hear them too often?

The parents who watched over us every day for so many years aren't usually so physically present when we are adults. Do we let them know they are still important to us? I call my Mum in the nursing home in her beloved New England each day. Sadly, in the beginning it was a duty I felt. Blessedly, it is now something I want to do. I know how important it is and how much I benefit from the love and appreciation we speak.

Thank you for reading this. Thank you for your kind encouragement. Thank you for telling me you love my Shopper. Thank you for your friendship and love. I hope you are blessed with friends and family who tell you how much you mean to them. Tell them too. Unless we are canines, it's rarely obvious.

Speaking love, encouragement and praise is, as the advertisement points out, priceless. Let's wrap our gifts in it.

Jean Loxley-Barnard has been a writer all her life and studied both sociology and psychology at George Washington University where she earned a B.A. Her company, The Shopper, Inc., encompasses all the Loxley-Barnard family publications - The Shopper Magazines and Doctor to Doctor Magazine. She has been in the advertising, consulting and publishing business for 39 years.