coachKidsSports.com

Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, When I give I give myself. - Walt Whitman

Christmas is always busy, there are hundreds of things to do on top of the thousands of things you already do everyday.  But every once in a while there are moments that cut through the fog.  I was lucky enough to have one of those moments while wrapping presents with my young daughter just before Christmas and it taught me four lessons:

• Neatness is over-rated
  I've never liked wrapping presents.  I get worked up trying to make the corners neat and the sides match perfectly.  It's almost enough to make me swear off buying odd shaped presents, except my wife likes odd (and small) shaped presents…  It was great seeing the joy my daughter got out of covering a box in wrapping paper, regardless of how the edges match up.  She realizes, maybe without knowing, that the wrapping is temporary.  Concentrate on the important things and let the little things slide.

• But a plan is necessary
  My daughter showed me not to worry about getting everything perfect, but it helps to have an idea about the general size and shape of the gift.  Your practice doesn't have to be perfect, but you do need to have an idea on what you want to accomplish.

• Presentation is important; The littlest gift looks better when it's wrapped
  As we were wrapping presents I realized that even the stocking gifts, that were rolled more than wrapped, added to the holiday feel.  The gift may have cost $3.27, but add wrapping paper and a box of Altoids becomes something special.  Add a little something different to the everyday things to give your team a fresh sense of perspective.

• In the end, it's for the kids…
  My daughter loves wrapping presents, I don't.  My daughter gets a kick out of the entire process, I'd like it to be over as quickly as possible.  I get more out of coaching, but nothing compares to seeing the smile on my kid's faces.