Reinvent Giving With HP Spectre x360

Sponsored by HP Spectre x360

I remember being young and writing out my Christmas wish list, filled with toys or games, and other things I definitely didn’t need, but desperately wanted. And while it’s still undeniably fun to open up mysterious, beautifully wrapped packages from loved ones, gift giving means something totally different to me as a legitimate grown-up. For the family and friends on my list this year, more thought goes into each gift than simply what’s at the top of a magazine’s must-have list. I’m finding things with a personal connection to each individual to show not only my appreciation for who they are in my life, but to try and make their life just a teeny bit better. 

One gift I’m super excited about this year is HP’s Spectre x360 laptop, which I’ll be giving to my little sister, Elaine. Since she’s six years my junior and we were latchkey kids (raised by a single, working mother) I was often responsible for taking care of her, and I always kind of resented that. But when Elaine was 18, something happened that would change our lives forever. She got pregnant. And it didn’t play out like it does in rom-coms. Our whole family was devastated and depressed. In fact, my sister was very close to giving her baby up for adoption, but ultimately my mom convinced Elaine to keep her — and now none of us could ever imagine our worlds without my niece Kaley. 

Kaley forced our family to come together, since we all had to help raise her. She also made Elaine grow up fast — for better or worse. She never finished high school, and instead went straight to work. And now that Kaley is older, Elaine is finally able to focus more on who she is and what she wants to do with her life. I’m giving her this awesome Spectre x360 laptop and a workspace in the hopes that it will help her discover and pursue her interest. I’m giving it to her with the encouragement to get her GED, look into college, and figure out what she wants to do with her life. And because the laptop is so easy to use, lightweight, and portable, I think it will make both her and Kaley’s lives a little easier. In case you forgot what my mom's home looked like before, here's the before.

Thinking about more thoughtful gift giving is actually what HP’s #ReinventGiving promotion is all about (in fact, watch this sentimental ad that explains the campaign — and yes, I cried). And now, you have the opportunity to win a Spectre x360 laptop to give someone important as well — and you don’t have to purchase a thing to enter. Actually, all you have to do to enter is comment #ReinventGivingSweepstakes on my Instagram post [here] and you’re in the running to win one of six laptops that HP is awarding. The contest ends December 14th and you can read all the pertinent details here