Remember when Christmas seemed magical? When the things
under the tree seemed to hold excitement and wonders that were beyond measure?
It feels like we’ve left that experience back in our childhoods. It’s hard to
be excited about something under the tree that, if it were not there, you would
just go get for yourself during Boxing week sales. In a world of exchanged gift
cards, money in envelopes or maybe a box of turtles if you’re lucky, good gift
giving seems to be a lost art. It’s not all on the giver though. How do we get
gifts for people who seem to have everything they want?
What’s the last thing that you didn’t buy even though you could afford it?
- That TV
that would look great in the living room but would hurt the pocket book? It’s
on the wall.
- A 17th
pair of shoes that you don’t need, but look pretty sweet… they are on your feet
right now aren’t they.
- Those
tickets to the show or game that you’ve love to be at. You’ve already been.
Twice I bet.
Credit allows us to buy things we can’t afford.
Self-indulgence compels us to get everything we want when we
want it.
The power in a gift is often held by the premise that we
can’t, or at least wouldn’t get it for ourselves.
As a kid I remember receiving things from Santa that I just
knew my parents would never get me.
In years gone by, things like computers, electronics, new
clothes and toys were luxuries to be indulged in just ever so often, rather
than necessities that we all feel we deserve. In the pursuit of having more,
thinking we’re pleasing ourselves, we’ve actually robbed ourselves of one of
the true joyous experiences in life. Having someone else provide us with
something we couldn’t provide for ourselves.
Sounds like a first world problem. Or sounds like maybe we
need to shift our habits again.
If we didn’t indulge ourselves in everything we think we
wanted, the gifts we receive might have a renewed sense of awe. If we gave each
other gifts that helped us experience life more fully, rather than one more
electronic or gift card to go buy supplies, the magic of the packages under the
tree might return.
Gift giving and receving isn’t a shallow practice. It’s a
legitimate expression of love and appreciation, that we have overindulged away
as we seem to do with so many things in this society.
More is not better. More is just more.
A little self-restriction might open up doors to the
feelings of magic and excitement that we left behind.
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