The Joy of Gift Giving

Here we are, the day before Christmas Eve (a.k.a., Christmas Eve Eve).  I've got the tunes on, enjoying the beautiful snow (isn't it always beautiful when you can stand at the window and enjoy it?!) and finishing the wrapping of the last of the Christmas gifts.  It has dawned on me that each year, I go thru the same thought process as I wrap gifts.

There's always that last minute "idea" that pops into my head..."Oh, I should have picked this up for..."  I think that's called doing your best work in the 11th hour.  I'm resisting that this year.  I'm not going out anymore.

So as I wrap each gift, I think about the recipient, what their reaction might be when they open it.  I inevitably question whether it was the smartest choice for a gift.  I hope and pray that they will be grateful for the thought behind the gift. 

You see, when I was newly married I had an experience that nearly crushed my soul when it came to gift giving.  Long story short, my husband was disappointed in the gift I'd gotten for him.  He had it in his head that I would get him...wait for it...the Atari PONG game.  This, after telling me NOT to get it.  It was just a matter of me not "reading" him correctly, I guess.  It happens with newlyweds.  As you can imagine, it caused a big fight.

 

On Christmas Day. 

That was a new experience for me...fighting on Christmas. 

You see, when I was around 8 years old, my sisters and I were given a couple of dollars to go to the local five and dime (the predecessor to the dollar store, for those of you who just said, "Huh??") and those couple of dollars had to stretch to cover six siblings and two parents.  Needless to say, my brothers and Dad got pocket combs.  And as much as they probably thought it was a lame gift, never once did I get the impression they were anything but grateful for the gift. 

Here's the point I'm working toward (I do digress, don't I?).  That saying "tis better to give than receive" really does carry some weight around the holidays.  Sure, it's fun to receive gifts.  But have you ever seen the look on a child's face when they've made something for you that they just KNOW you'll love??  Is that not just priceless??  They haven't yet felt the disappointment that comes when the receiver isn't really thrilled with what they got.  With some luck, they never will feel that disappointment. 

There truly is joy in giving gifts.  And sometimes, the reaction to the gift received could very well be the gift that the receiver gives the giver.  Keep that in mind when/if you receive a gift that isn't quite what you were expecting. 

I'm not sure I'll post anymore before Christmas (c'mon...let's look at my track record here!!!), so I want to wish each of my blog friends a joyous, love-filled Christmas.  Enjoy each gift that comes your way!  I know I've enjoyed the gift of your comments for the last six months.  It's the best gift I could have ever asked for!!

Merry, Merry Christmas!!!