Growing up, my mom always
said {and still says} that people only give gifts because they feel obligated
to give them – usually for office parties. She herself never liked office
parties. My siblings and I always had a lot of presents as kids, though the amounts
did get steadily smaller as we got older. They were all from my parents. We
didn’t have grandparents or aunts or uncles or cousins giving us gifts every
year. We did have Christmas once or twice at my aunt’s when we were little and
we each got a small present, which we really liked. I remember my Hello Kitty
toy was one of my favorites for years. We were also poor, so there were several
Christmases where we were “adopted” by the local community through one of the
toy denotation programs and we got a lot of presents from them. As tweens and
teens, we were taught that giving is better than receiving {though why that
lesson wasn’t reinforced by letting us fill a shoe box of presents for
less-fortunate children, I have no idea}, and we were also taught the Golden
Rule. When I unconsciously applied it to my life as a teen, it stayed with me
as I matured and has since shown up in the little things I do now, as a
twenty-something. So, the reasons why I like to give gifts are:
1. Because I never had all the
relatives sending me tons of gifts or even one gift each year, I want to strive
to be that relative for my future nieces and nephews. Since getting married and
moving out, I’ve made it a point to get my siblings and parents something small
for their birthdays and Christmas. It isn’t always what I want to get them
{budgeting issues always seem to trump most of my plans}, but whatever I do end
up getting them, they seem to really appreciate and like being made special. I
made my Dad his favorite cookies for his birthday this year and he opened the
bag so fast to try them! With a slightly bigger budget this year, we’re
expanding to sending presents to my in-laws; something I’ve wanted to do for
awhile now. I give my family gifts to make them feel loved and special so
they’ll have good memories to share with their children someday.
2. I want to be the friend that
I wish I had. Don’t get me wrong, I have great friends. They just aren’t always
the most on top of sending things out on time. And I’m not either; some of them
have gotten birthday presents for Thanksgiving. But I always try to find a
thoughtful just-for-them present to send for their birthdays. I can’t always
get around to doing so for Christmas {that darn budget}, but they still get a
card or packet of seeds. I could see how this would be a huge expense if
someone had thirty friends, but thankfully, I can count my friends on one hand.
*winks*
3. I want to be an example to my
daughter. Very cliché, I know, but it’s true. In a world where receiving is
more often thought of than giving when it comes to presents, I want my daughter
to know how much fun it is to secretly learn what someone needs, wants or likes
then try to find it, wrap it up and give it to them without expecting anything
more than a thank you in return. The satisfaction of a job well done is very
addicting.
4. I love giving gifts. It’s so
much fun when I find something that fits someone so well or is exactly what
they needed or wanted. I put thought, effort and love into the gifts I give –
especially if they’re homemade. I almost never get what I want for birthdays or
holidays, but I love the feeling of being able to get someone what they want.
It makes me feel, for a moment, so needed and appreciated. And I quite enjoy
seeing my husband’s face when I find him a thoughtful gift because he really is
a challenge to shop for, the silly man.
So with half of my Christmas
shopping done so far {the man still needs undershirts}, I can sit back, cuddle
the baby and feel confident that I’ve done my best to brighten someone’s day
this year by getting them a thoughtful gift, and I like that feeling. And that
feeling is why I like to give gifts.
