Something to Think About - Gift Giving

I have often thought about gift giving and recieving, it can be such a joy and pleasure yet such a trial and trying experience. Dee from one of the blogs I regularly read recently posted a blog about gift giving that I found very interesting to read and with her permission I have re-posted a lot of her posting here for you to read and think about:

http://dee-clutteringmylife.blogspot.com/

Over the last couple of weeks many of my nearest and dearest have asked me what I would like for my birthday. My answers have varied between, "take me out for coffee" to "pick anything from my non-clutter gift list (I love the sound of this!) that I wrote at Christmas" (which included take me out for coffee). I am amused and curious at how this news had been received. At Christmas time, one person said that my gift wishes were not really gifts because most of them weren't things. This can be tricky to get your head around. I guess some people don't feel like they are giving a gift if they don't give an item (one of the most thrilling gifts I have ever recieved was a long ride on a fast red motor bike - it was amazing!) . I have been giving quite some thought to the whole subject.Why do we give gifts? What is a gift?I have concluded that we give gifts as tokens of how we feel about a person. It is a way of showing our care and love. At least it is for me. We give gifts to celebrate and sometimes just because one feels obligated to give a gift - this always seems to show.How we give a gift and what we give comunicate a lot about giver, the receiver and the relationship between giver and receiver. I think this is why gift giving is such a big deal for me. I like giving gifts. I want the receiver to be delighted with the gift (yep I have tended to put myself through all kinds of mental knots over this one).
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Many of the wishes on my wish list are for treats that I rarely, if ever give to myself; like a manicure or pedicure or massage or go to the movies. To receive such things as a gift is special and all the more so if I get to share that time with someone special. Since I have been trying to change my way of seeing it, I have been discovering just how difficult gift giving is for many others (and i thought it was only me). I seem to end up having conversations with folks about gift giving occasions. I actually found it very freeing at Christmas when wanting to give a gift to the person who has everything or who needs so little. What do you give to an elderly relative? or your parents/parents-in-law? Taking someone out for coffee or spending time with them, going to the movies, etc these things are great gifts and don't have to be locked into one day. To receive a piece of decorated paper telling me that I will be taken somewhere or get to experience something makes my day and makes the celebraton last even longer.

- it certainly is food for thought isn't it.