The holiday season is here, and I think I might be in a little trouble. If you are one of those people who is done with your holiday shopping, I am happy for you. But for the rest of us, panic is beginning to set in as we enter the final lap of holiday preparations.

After weeks of searching for gifts, I only have a few lackluster items to show for my efforts. My shopping list is still as long as a checkout line in a toy store and I need some serious help with holiday gift-giving. Thankfully, there is no lack of people offering free advice on how to find the perfect gift.

Pundits on TV and online tell us how to have a hassle-free holiday. “Holiday Gift Guides” confidently promise to lead us safely through the badlands of shopping. The problem is that reading a gift guide is almost like learning a new language. They recommend gifts like the “Mini Home” (which is not the same thing as a Tiny House) and Fingerlings (which are definitely not potatoes).

If “Holiday Gift Guides” don’t solve your problems, you can kick things up a notch by going straight for the “Ultimate Gift Guide.” It’s great to have all this help, but it makes me wonder why gift giving should be so hard in the first place.

Parenting is a good example of this. Parents spend a lifetime giving the gifts of love, encouragement, and time to their children. They provide for their children’s needs and give them opportunities for personal growth, like participation in sports, lessons, and special programs like YOBC. Each opportunity is a gift which requires a commitment of time, money, and effort from parents.

At YOBC we are committed to helping students develop their musical talent—but we can’t do it without the support of parents.

This holiday season, I want to thank parents for encouraging their children, providing them with private lessons, cheering them on during practice and concerts, getting them to rehearsals, giving them instruments, and   volunteering countless hours at YOBC. The gifts you give to your children every day make their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments possible.

—Colleen Sweetsir
YOBC Executive Director