The Joy of Gifting!

Today over lunch, I happened to remark very casually that the way new born babies are raining around me these days, I am already tired …and proceeded to add, of giving gifts! To this, a colleague cum friend responded by asking me why I give gifts. And I don’t think I thought for a second before replying “Because I like to “.

And now when I am thinking about it, I really do like to give gifts. Any occasion, be it a birthday or an anniversary, a colleague’s farewell or a house warming party or sometimes, without any traditionally pertinent occasion such as my flatmate’s recent promotion. I really look forward to the opportunity or excuse for being able to give a gift to those who matter to me. The thought of a friend’s or family member’s birthday approaching near manages to incite an excitement in me even if the concerned person is sitting thousands of miles away .My mind starts planning and plotting for a surprise party or a surprise gift , well in advance. I am not always able to materialise my plans but I try to the best of my ability and keep trying till I get a clear signal that it would probably not work out this time.

I like to spend time thinking about the people in my life , what they would like , how I can make them happy and feel special on special occasions or otherwise .Now there may be hundred different ways of doing this but I think a gift chosen carefully is an expression of all these emotions wrapped up together. And this is one small but powerful way which goes a long way in telling the recipient that they are special and deserve the time and attention they have been given! And I know this because I get truly thrilled if I receive a gift J

The flip side to all this is that sometimes it bothers me if I am not able to choose that right gift that would express my emotions correctly. I have realised that this is just an expectation that I have from myself and does not really bother others. So, I am trying to ignore this and recognise that even though people love and appreciate gifts given to them , “gifting” is the giver’s joy and there are no obligations attached to it…..at least not in the current world where people are so busy in their lives they rarely bother to evaluate and judge others’ actions. This is a comforting realisation though I still like to rake my head and think through what I gift others and if for some reason, I am not satisfied, my joy does get marred a bit! But it’s like a tiny speck which I think I can ignore.