Presence Over Presents

2. The capacity, condition, or state of acting or of exerting power; feeling like you have control over your life.
4. A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, often used to describe the noise of the holiday season.
5. Required by a legal, moral, or other rule; something you do because you have to, not because you want to.
7. An official inspection of an individual's or organization's accounts, or a systematic review of one's own life habits.
9. The practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others, giving without expecting a return.
14. A lack of harmony or tension between what you believe and what you actually do.
16. Perceptible by touch; something clear and definite, unlike an idea or feeling.
17. The process of turning something, like a tradition or emotion, into a product that can be bought and sold.
19. A completely empty space, often used metaphorically to describe an emotional emptiness we try to fill.
20. Something that lasts for a very short time, like the excitement of opening a package or morning mist.

1. Given, felt, or done in return; a relationship where both sides give and take.
3. A public declaration of policy and aims, often used when someone decides to change their lifestyle drastically.
6. Regarded with great respect and reverence, set apart from the ordinary or profane.
8. Adroitness and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues; knowing what to say to avoid offense.
10. A mass of whirling fluid or air, often used to describe a chaotic situation that pulls you in.
11. A seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated may prove to be well founded.
12. To be overwhelmed with things or people to be dealt with, metaphorically flooded.
13. An object surviving from an earlier time, especially one of historical or sentimental interest.
15. Either of the two times in the year when the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky at noon, marking the longest or shortest day.
18. To select, organize, and look after items in a collection, or to carefully manage one's public image.