Giving meaningful gifts

It’s not about the money, unless that’s what they want

Photo by Nina Mercado on Unsplash

For many people, this is the most frantic time of the year. Rushing around, buying stuff. Then, after Christmas, rushing around, returning or exchanging stuff… why do we do it?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s important to create special moments with loved ones. It’s also important to express how much you care. And sometimes there are people in your inner circle that are going through a rough patch, and need some help. Gift giving can address these issues.

Here are my thoughts on the whole gift giving ritual, for what it’s worth.

Children should have gifts! So should pets.

I don’t have children, but when I was married, I loved to choose a special something for each niece and nephew. One year I knit them all scarves. Not simple, plain scarves, but ones that reflected their personality. A green knit snake with button eyes and a rattle made of wooden beads for one nephew, a vivid mohair one with a lace pattern that looked like paws for another… they were so delighted they sent me back pictures of themselves wearing their new scarves, big smiles on their faces.

For my pets, I always get them something. For the cat, the best gift is to actually leave the discarded…