Making Gifts A Pleasure
As we reach the time of year when Christmas items start to
appear in the stores, and thoughts of vacations start to wind
down with the shortening daylight, it is a good time to think
about gifts. Not only the gifts, though, but also the practise
of giving.
Offering a gift can be a mutual pleasure; some might say it
should be a pleasure for giver and recipient. A problem with a
modern commercial Christmas, however, is that buying gifts can
become a chore. Often it is a stress ridden chore in the dying
days before Christmas Day, as everything gets left to the last
minute.
A true gift, though, should bring with it no stress; it should
come from the heart to be a true gift, and not be out of duty.
If someone is resentful of having to spend time and money buying
Christmas gifts, then the result is not a gift but a token of
duty.
Why not make this next Christmas a time to make the choosing of
individual gifts a pleasure for yourself, and for the recipient.
Often in the last minute haste to buy gifts in time for
Christmas Day, people become detached from not only the purpose,
but the person to whom they are giving. Bought hastily in a
crowded stress filled store, scarcely a thought may pass for the
individual on the receiving end, however close they may be to
you.
Most of the year, if not all, can be filled with work,
commuting, rushing here and there, stress, and self focus. How
about time and attention for those who really matter in your
life, whether spouse, offspring, other relatives, friends or
colleagues? The choosing of a gift, and presentation of it, can
be a silent way of giving each of them special attention, and
then culminating with their pleasure at the receipt of the gift.
Behind every good present there is a person who worked hard to
make the best choice. The secret to buying the perfect gift is
to think about the message you want to send out, when the
receiver opens it. If you think about his or her hobbies, to his
or her vacation plans etc. It means you have really studied that
person and you bought the present precisely for them, for that
occasion; in this case, Christmas.
Friendship and caring are themselves are a gift, so you can see
that if you put some real selfless effort into choosing gifts,
the value of the gift is magnified. That is something which will
shine through the wrapping paper, and in the moment of giving
the pleasure that you feel in making the gesture will radiate in
the warmth of your expression. The choosing and the giving of a
gift are inseparable.
With Christmas some way off, now is a good time to start
thinking about the meaning of giving, so that by the time
Christmas comes, there will be no thinking