By Grace Maselli
Ho ho. And ho! It’s that time of year again for old-fashioned glazed ham and holiday popcorn balls. Or if you’re vegetarian, polenta and goat cheese stacks. Or if you’re vegan, parsnip, cranberry and chestnut loaf. Whatever your persuasion, you’re welcome at the Tampa Bay Timebank holiday potluck table. Bring yourself, a friend, and a dish to share. Come and meet us at the Tuesday, December 18 Third Tuesday of the Month gathering at Tampa’s Life Enrichment Center (LEC). We’ll be talking timebanking and, of course, noshing and de-lishing on seasonal foods including some turkey and trimmings. 
We’ll also carve out time for a group activity:
Contemplate the World Through the Lens of “Gifts”
“Leading gratitude researcher Robert Emmon says that ‘perceiving a positive experience as a gift may be a form of cognitive amplification that enhances positive feelings. When we amplify, we increase or make more powerful the object of focus. Our positive feelings become amplified when we see their source as a gift we have been given to benefit us.'”
Here’s the essence of what we’ll try when we’re together. Bring a piece of paper and a pen:
“Focus for a moment on benefits or ‘gifts’ that you have received in your life. These gifts could be simple everyday pleasures, people in your life, personal strengths or talents, moments of natural beauty, or gestures of kindness from others. We might not normally think about these things as gifts, but that is how we want you to think about them. Take a moment to really savor or relish these ‘gifts,’ think about their value, and then write them down…” Plan to share, if you’re comfortable with the idea.
See immediately below for the straight up holiday news on when and where we’ll meet. In the mean time, Boris Karloff and TBT hope your Christmas lights stay tangle-free!
| Date | Tuesday, December 18, 2018 |
| Time | 6:30-8:30 PM |
| Address | 9704 North Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33612; phone: 813.932.0241 |
| Questions? | Contact coordinator@tampabaytime.org or call (215) 834-4567 and reference our Holiday Season potluck at LEC. Yippee! |