This month I will be celebrating my 54 th Christmas. I love this time of year- Christmas music, twinkling lights, cooler weather, and family gatherings. When I was about six, I swear I even saw Santa Clause and his reindeer flying in the sky on Christmas Eve.

But a few of the "54's" have not been as merry. I vaguely remember the year my dad was in the hospital for Christmas when I was a toddler. He had been stabbed on active duty as a deputy sheriff. I remember being afraid of visiting him because I thought he was going to die.

My dad suffered his first heart attack the December when I was 15. Four years later my dad died of a second heart attack right after Christmas. I distinctly remember the Christmas gift I had packaged for my dad still sitting on the kitchen counter. I was in college and didn't have money to mail it before Christmas. It broke my heart that my final gift—pistachios (his favorite) and homemade jam I made over the summer— was never received.

While I was in the middle of baking holiday treats in December 2012, my mom called that she was on her way to Mercy Gilbert. A few minutes after I arrived, I stood by her hospital bed and witnessed her having a massive “widow maker” heart attack. She survived and came home from the hospital Christmas morning.

Over the 54's I've realized that Christmas is not about the newest iPhone, video games, or the "must-have" toy of the season. It's the gift of time. The gift of family. The gift of knowing how much your parents or children love you.

The most important gift I received was from my mom. Not packaged as a Christmas gift, but a decision she made years earlier. She had created her estate plan that included a medical power of attorney, living will, and medical release form. And in that critical hour when I didn't know if she was going to live or die, I was immediately at peace. I didn't have to make any tough decisions that day. She already had. 

That is a true gift.

Becky Cholewka specializes in Estate Planning. If you haven’t given this gift to your family, she would love to help ensure your loved ones are protected in a time of crisis. Contact Cholewka Law at 480-497-3770 or visit www.gilbertlawoffice.com