Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Art of Gift-Giving


Giving a gift is probably not as much fun as receiving one, but it ought to be.

The best gifts I have ever received are ones that are unexpected, thoughtful, and tailored to that individual's taste. Starting a couple years ago, I started buying gifts for family and friends whenever I see something that I think they'd like, rather than waiting for the annual holiday or birthday, when you're just scrambling around to find something that the person might like - lip gloss, Sudoku puzzle, poetry magnets. It can become a pretty desperate experience. If I don't do this, I sometimes find myself with "gift-giver's remorse." Somehow, saying "I saw blah at the store and thought of buying it for you, but didn't" is not very satisfying to any of the parties involved.

Of course, if I were a millionaire, gift-giving would be a cinch (money *is* the solution to everything, right?), but the reality is, I'm not. Sometimes the gift-giving grinch can get the best of me. Before I buy a gift, I will think to myself, "well, so-and-so didn't buy me a gift for (insert occasion), so why should I buy a gift for them?" This, of course, goes against the spirit of the gift-giving and is contrary to my idea of the best gift - the unexpected ones.

Recently I had the pleasure of receiving some unexpected packages in the mail from friends and relatives (btw, I count gifts for my daughter as gifts for myself!) and it spurred me to send unexpected gifts to others. Gift-giving is like karma: what goes around, comes around. If you don't share some of your gift-giving spirit, you won't experience it either!