The Art of Gift Giving

It is slightly shocking to me how the idea that Christmas has been lost in the commercialism has existed for centuries now. Yes, centuries my friends. Apparently as people we are never satisfied that anything is ever exactly as it should be for us. I’m not sure what I think about Christmas. Truthfully I’m not sure that I have an opinion about the nature of the holiday one-way or the other. I do know this though that I absolutely love gift giving. Before the rants about commercialism begin please note that I love the art of gift giving year round from birthdays, graduations, holidays, to happy Wednesdays. And this has nothing to do with the consumer aspect. It’s not about the shopping, or the spending money, or the retail therapy. It’s not even really about me, or the self-satisfaction that can come from achieving to reach the end of a shopping list. No it’s about the art, better yet it’s about the potential for the incredible story telling.

A good gift to a friend or a family member can be many things. It can highlight or underline a great part of your shared stories. Or it can be a leading hook to a new chapter. Sometimes a gift could breathe new life into an old story or give the characters of your life a new outlook. Personally I tend to work in themes, umbrellas of general thoughts, making that my starting point every Christmas season. Being a storyteller I thrive on crafting messages and creating narratives. So that being said I start thinking of themes sometime in June and have usually nailed my encompassing plot point for gifts by September. This is for several reasons first because it’s a process that amuses me and second because I like to shop early and in segments.

This year I am working under the concept of my life being like a sitcom. Having myself spent most of the year watching some of the best television of the last decade it was an idea that came to me rather easily. Every movie or show that I watch, every book that I read, and every song that I hear has the possibility of reminding me of someone. The entire idea was based on making hand-made Christmas cards. The front of the card would state simply – “Sometimes My Life is like a TV Show (or movie depending on the gift)”. And the inside would finish the sentence, “with a great cast of characters.”  Then the personal note would vary based on what show/ movie I got for that particular person and end with wishing them a happy Christmas episode or scene. Because people in my life are my supporting cast, they are the constant characters there for every chapter or just guest starring. 

These gifts are fun and give me a way to demonstrate what my relationships mean to my friends. I gave someone the first season of How I Met Your Mother, with the reassurance that they were going to love the show and thanking them for being the Lily and Marshall in my life. While giving someone else the fourth season of the same show and telling them they had been part of all my legend – wait for it – dairy nights of my life. I gave myself the opportunity to give my friends a visual, a concrete example, of what our relationships mean to me. A picture is after all worth a thousand words, so you know, a moving picture should be pretty priceless. I gave someone the third chapter of Greek, praising them for being the Cappie to my Rusty. Or someone else the special edition of Gone with the Wind with a note that congratulated them for being the belle of all the balls I had been to and having the gumption of a certain Miss O’Hara. I was able to express gratitude to my friends for bringing magic, cleverness, friendship, and loyalty to my life by giving their chosen Harry Potter scarves and a season of Pushing Daisies. There are a few more, but honestly, this is a way to personalize an easy gift for the people in your life. There is something irresistibly powerful about being able to personalize something by relating it back to you.

So I know that Christmas is only a day away, but remember gift giving isn’t only done during the holidays. For all who dread gift giving, heed this advice the art of gift giving comes from thought and having fun. It’s about your relationship with that person. Think about why you like them, what you know about them, what makes you happy to see them. For example if you know someone drinks coffee from Starbucks everyday and you know they get the same drink everyday, get them a gift card. Last year a friend bought me a gift card for Starbucks for 17.75. How strange? Is what most people would think? But there was a thoughtful note attached, the amount on the card was the exact amount for a week of vienti iced lattes (my drink). It was so thoughtful, a way to bring in a note of personality to an otherwise impersonal type gift of a gift card. 

The idea is that you know someone else well enough to know what will bring a smile to his or her face. If you are one of the ranting critics of the commercialism of Christmas remember that though it might seem like it the art of gift giving is just about spending money, it really is not. Christmas is about family, friends, and the spirit of giving, miracles, and renewal. So let it be just that, enjoy the memories you create in the holiday episodes of your life.