The Fine Art of Gifting...
November is moving along into December mode here in Ohio. Today it is blustery and gray. Sporadic rain slaps against the windows. I've had a few days of respite from the Black Friday madness. Working in retail certainly takes the edge off of enjoying the holidays. But yesterday, a Monday, a friend and I made a pleasant discovery of a favorite art gallery that was open in the early evening. We had both commented on how it seemed so late since it gets dark so early. It was barely 6:30pm when we drove by the Don Drumm Studio in Akron, Ohio. "Oh, look! They're open! Let's go in and check out their Christmas stuff!", I told my friend. Shopping doesn't hold the appeal it did when I was younger, the lure of twinkly stuff in specialty shops is still a draw for me during the holidays. I am a firm believer in shopping local and shopping small, as in shopping in the small boutique types of shops and galleries. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the need to get the best price to save a buck on things one needs for holiday gifting, but I can't help thinking about how much of that box store stuff we all really need. Just what does a gift represent to you? Working in retail, I see a lot of purchases that are acts of desperation so that the giver won't look bad at not having a gift of requirement during the holiday ritual giving. Stuff given with no meaning, just a package to open. What's wrong with that picture?
Holiday gifting in my family was always something special. What made it special was the thought and the time and effort required to create the gift was what was really important. And as a recipient of those special creations, the surprise came in seeing what that gift could be. Now I know, I could buy stuff for my friends, but as a creative person the comment always comes back to me, "Oh, you didn't make anything this year...". Point taken. So, each year I have to brainstorm to come up with just the right something for each person. Some of my best received presents didn't cost much of anything. One year I made personalized Christmas stockings that were filled with inexpensive trinkets. In the days of the dime stores, I bought coin-holder key chains and filled them with 50 cent pieces with the date of that year. I made some home-made candies to add to the stockings and added small wind-up toys. Each stocking with all its treasures cost me less than $10. each. Another year I made spa bath scrubbers from terrycloth and included a special soap. Imagination. That's what gifting is all about, especially when you have a skimpy budget. My mom always said, "You can't buy somebody their heart's desire, but you can let them know that you are thinking of them, and that you can touch their heart with your gift." There it is in a nutshell, the fine art of gifting. We have so much here in the United States. How much more "stuff" do any of us really need? But this is the time of year to give thought to family and friends who gave you that one special something that you can still remember after many years later. After all, God gave us his Son. Tough to top that gift! So, remembering what the Christmas season is all about, try passing along that notion to everyone. And just maybe we can all get back on track with holiday giving with what really counts. Here's hoping everyone has a very merry Christmas!
Holiday gifting in my family was always something special. What made it special was the thought and the time and effort required to create the gift was what was really important. And as a recipient of those special creations, the surprise came in seeing what that gift could be. Now I know, I could buy stuff for my friends, but as a creative person the comment always comes back to me, "Oh, you didn't make anything this year...". Point taken. So, each year I have to brainstorm to come up with just the right something for each person. Some of my best received presents didn't cost much of anything. One year I made personalized Christmas stockings that were filled with inexpensive trinkets. In the days of the dime stores, I bought coin-holder key chains and filled them with 50 cent pieces with the date of that year. I made some home-made candies to add to the stockings and added small wind-up toys. Each stocking with all its treasures cost me less than $10. each. Another year I made spa bath scrubbers from terrycloth and included a special soap. Imagination. That's what gifting is all about, especially when you have a skimpy budget. My mom always said, "You can't buy somebody their heart's desire, but you can let them know that you are thinking of them, and that you can touch their heart with your gift." There it is in a nutshell, the fine art of gifting. We have so much here in the United States. How much more "stuff" do any of us really need? But this is the time of year to give thought to family and friends who gave you that one special something that you can still remember after many years later. After all, God gave us his Son. Tough to top that gift! So, remembering what the Christmas season is all about, try passing along that notion to everyone. And just maybe we can all get back on track with holiday giving with what really counts. Here's hoping everyone has a very merry Christmas!
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