Please don't send me Christmas cards, please don't wrap any gifts for me because I don't need them. It's a nice thought, but they're just not necessary for me to be happy, I am. I do want gifts from you this holiday season, but I don't want you to give them to me. Please say Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, whatever, to the people who need it most. The elderly need your gifts. They need your attention!

I remember when I realized my mortality. It was few months after the death of my mentor. He was never supposed to die, at least not in my eyes. He did, of course, probably ten years before his time, and I've never been the same since. I loved that man, dearly. His last lesson to me, from the grave, was to appreciate what I still had: my own father. Don't get me wrong, I loved my father dearly too, but that love blinded me to the fact he too, was getting older. I resolved that day to pay a lot more attention to my Dad. I'm glad I did. He passed away a year after my mentor. I was lucky. I said my goodbyes in time. I also made him a promise: to take care of his bride, my mother.

Momma is here in Las Vegas now, so I can take better care of her than I would have if she stayed in Wyoming. She’s suffered two strokes, a broken hip and the loss of even more hearing since Daddy went away, but she's still doing fine, all things considered. She lives in a great assisted-living facility and my fiancé and I visit her almost every day. She's lucky. Many of the folks Momma lives with never see their sons, daughters, grandchildren or even the outside of the building for months at a time.

That's not right. They deserve better! They deserve a gift from you. They deserve your company, your conversation, your attention.

Please, please, please…visit a senior facility, if only for an hour. Talk to the residents, they all have great stories to tell. Spread the cheer of the season. You'll feel better about yourself and I guarantee you'll make someone's day, week and possibly year…

That's the greatest gift you can ever give!!

You can E-Mail Casey at caseysmith3@hotmail.com