THE GIFT OF GIVING

With Christmas on the horizon, and the shops now beginning to fill with sparkly trinkets and treasures, many of us will have been getting to grips with our Christmas shopping.
Personally, I believe that you can never have enough presents, and rather than the cost of a gift, what matters most is the thought that goes behind it.

Present giving is about knowing the recipient well enough to seek out something that you know will please them. In my case, given my passion for reading, and my love of food, wine and travel, many of the gifts I am lucky enough to receive reflect those interests.

Some of my most treasured gifts over the years have included a goose-down pillow and a hand-made jigsaw of a favourite picture.

Present giving should be an expression of love and affection, not something that you feel duty bound to give. We will all have had the experience of receiving gifts that, being polite, we will thank the giver for, whilst inwardly groaning at the bizarre hand-knitted sweater in colours that you hate, that will be hidden at the back of the wardrobe, only to be hauled out each time they visit, to show willing.

In my case, I have a large box under the bed that I use for unwanted gifts, as they make handy raffle prizes. Heaven forbid that I should on some future occasion return the gift to the original giver!

Often the most treasured gifts can be those that someone has spent time and energy on making. Although I am not fortunate enough to be a mum, I know all too well the pride and pleasure in receiving a child’s hand-made card or picture.

Let’s not forget that, for those of us with few pennies to spare, doing something for someone else can be just as precious; running an errand for an elderly neighbour, helping with the gardening or dropping round with a home-made meal.

Why restrict gift giving to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas? What can be better than knowing that you have brightened someone else’s day?

Gift giving is a two-way street. Whilst it is always lovely to be on the receiving end, it can be just as rewarding to give something that will bring someone else pleasure. In this busy world, the greatest gift of all must surely be our time.