Tag: gift giving

Giving #MFRWauthor

I just read a news article about an actor and how he and his wife approach Christmas gifts with their son. He said that they bought nothing for his Christmas when he was under one-year-old because he wouldn’t know the difference. And as he got older and they noticed that he saw Christmas gifts as just a bunch of stuff—one gift after another—they cut back until he appreciated each gift he got as something of value.

I thought about that as I got to the point of writing this week’s topic. How do we give gifts that are personal? Here are a few ideas I had.

  • Give gifts from the heart. I made it a habit long ago to give gifts to Giving from the heartpeople I love that I love, too. So, unless my mom asked for a puce-colored sweater where the sleeves hung over her hands and the hem reached her knees, I gave her a sweater I would like to wear myself. I gave a gift that would mean something to me if I received it.
  • Give gifts that people need. I don’t mean giving only underwear for Christmas—people need joy as well as undies—but there’s no need to give a person something they have no use for. My mom is on a fixed income and appreciates gift cards she can use to buy things she needs instead of having to use her own money. I always used to think that gift cards were impersonal, but they’re what she needs at this stage of life, so that’s what she gets.
  • Give something intangible. A smile at the right time can be the greatest Give a smilegift of all. Lending a helping hand when you see it’s needed, thanking a serviceman or woman, or police officer for their service, or saying a kind word are all ways that make the recipient warm inside, and they cost nothing. My mom was always (and fortunately for me, still is) always ready with a hug or encouragement. Always willing to jump in and give me whatever it is I need.
  • Give something tangible. Charities always need more help at the holidays, but they also need a boost all year long. My mom tithes allGiving gifts that are tangible year, but she doesn’t tithe to her church, as such. She tithes in kind, by giving to two particular charities: one is an Indian school in South Dakota. She and my aunt send books and school supplies during the year and all kinds of gloves, scarves and hats in the winter. They buy travel size personal items and small teddy bears and package them to give to women’s shelters. When women escape horrible situations at home, they leave with just what they have on, and they need more, so Mom and my aunt help provide those things.
  • Give time. Another intangible that might cost something if it means taking time from work is the gift of time. Time is infinite, but time hereGive time on earth, with loved ones or even those we don’t know, like folks at a nursing home or hospital, is not infinite. Once a day is gone it never comes again. I live too far from Mom to see her often, but we talk weekly and when we do have time together, we cherish it. Time and love are the two greatest gifts!

I do try each Christmas to follow these gift-giving ideas, though I don’t always succeed. I tend to give Jack things that I think he needs, not what he thinks he needs. (I do know best, don’t I? It turns out, not so much!) But I think the best point to remember about personal gift giving is that it’s not just for Christmas—it’s a notion we should follow all year round.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
One Woman Only: The Good Man Series, Book 2 Jonah’s story! Can a simple mechanic rekindle with his high school love? She says no, but Jonah loves a challenge!
Mystic Desire
Only a Good Man Will Do
Naval Maneuvers

The (sort of not) appreciated gift #MFRWauthor

I am not married to a romantic. Don’t get me wrong, he has his moments—lots of them, actually—but not really when it comes to gifts. He doesn’t give me flowers—Bouquet of tulipsever. He is of the opinion that when a man buys a woman flowers he’s feeling guilty about something. And he doesn’t buy perfume or pretty trinkets, though at times he has gifted me with some of my favorite earrings. No, my hubby is a practical gift giver.

I have at least three brief cases, despite the fact I’ve never worked in a field where they were needed. One he even told me he bought because it would hold folders and such but looked like a purse instead of a briefcase. That gift proved that he’d never really looked at a purse. I’ve also received two digital cameras—with all the extras—despite the fact I rarely remember to take photos, and that we now carry our phones with us everywhere. I’ve received speakers for the computer—once a high-def woofer and tweeter—all when I don’t like to listen to anything when I’m working on the computer.

None of that dispels the excitement of receiving a gift from him. He’s also bought all three of the eBook readers I’ve had and a few pretty fabulous things like Kitchen Aid gift!my KitchenAid mixer and kitchen tools. He also learned what I do like in pocketbooks, in spite of the briefcase mix-ups, and he’s discovered that jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive for me to love it. One year when finances were particularly tight he wrapped a bag of miniature Baby Ruth candy bars, and it thrilled me. When the right sentiment is behind it, any gift can be wonderful.

I smile (or try to) no matter what the gift, mainly because the man who gives them is far more important than anything he could ever wrap, and because he’s Wedding ringsgiven me gifts that can’t be measured in terms of money or usability: his name, his heart, and time to share his life.

Read the next blog in the blog hop by going here.

Dee
Only a Good Man Will Do: Seriously ambitious man seeks woman to encourage his goals, support his (hopeful) position as Headmaster of Westover Academy, and be purer than Caesar’s wife. Good luck with that!

Naval Maneuvers: When a woman requires an earth-shattering crush of pleasure to carry her away, she can’t do better than to call on the US Navy. Sorry, Marines!