Life can be challenging, days can be hard, and dreams and wishes are often overlooked for more serious or fundamental needs. To me that is why GIVING is such a true blessing for both the gift giver and the recipient. It gives us both an opportunity to live in imagination and hopefulness again. For the recipient it is a chance to let down one's guard and fall face first into the well of thankfulness. My challenge of late is that very few people seem interested in receiving a gift as much as they are interested in checking things off their personal shopping list. When asked for hints as to what they would like to see under the tree the answers are either excessively lavish or technically mundane. It seems to me some people have lost the magic and mystery of the moment. As for me, I will never lose the passion of gift giving - I DO still believe in Santa Claus - and I will find a way to hunt down just the right thing to bring the magic of the season of giving to life. After all, that is what Christmas time is all about.
Have you ever known anyone who was hard to shop for? Not just because it was hard to find the right gift but because even when you thought you did they received it poorly. I look around lately and think that some people have lost the art of giving and receiving. When I was younger I loved to give gifts to people, especially when they least expected it. The fun of surprising them was just about the most thrilling thing I could experience. To watch their eyes light up and their face break out in amazement at having just the right thing fall softly in their lap at just the right moment. It was an honor to stand with them in such a moment. To feel like Santa, the Easter Bunny and the First Day of Summer all rolled into one as their eyes moved slowly from the gift in their hands up to meet mine. Eyes that asked, how did you know, without them having to say a word.
Life can be challenging, days can be hard, and dreams and wishes are often overlooked for more serious or fundamental needs. To me that is why GIVING is such a true blessing for both the gift giver and the recipient. It gives us both an opportunity to live in imagination and hopefulness again. For the recipient it is a chance to let down one's guard and fall face first into the well of thankfulness. My challenge of late is that very few people seem interested in receiving a gift as much as they are interested in checking things off their personal shopping list. When asked for hints as to what they would like to see under the tree the answers are either excessively lavish or technically mundane. It seems to me some people have lost the magic and mystery of the moment. As for me, I will never lose the passion of gift giving - I DO still believe in Santa Claus - and I will find a way to hunt down just the right thing to bring the magic of the season of giving to life. After all, that is what Christmas time is all about. Add Comment Be a gracious hostess to life and your rewards will be plentiful. Not only will others speak highly of you but you will be lifted up by the pride of doing more than is expected. To bring an element of surprise and delight into another's life is always uplifting for both the giver and the recipient. I witnessed this first hand during my recent house warming party when I surprised my guest with a giving game I use to get people involved in the festivities. The guest were each given a small gift for attending and a note card, but before they could open the gift they were instructed to open the card and figure out (by the clue inside) who the card belong to, once they did they actually gave that gift to the other guest. This continued until everyone not only had a parting gift but also had the extra gift of getting to share something interesting about each other with the whole group, and also being able to give a gift to a new acquaintance. I believe it was that little something extra that amplified the act of giving from just handing someone a gift as they heading into or out of the party to a spirited celebration of giving and receiving. My guests were delighted to see the brightly colored gifts appear but even more excited to be able to give to each other. In the end I received the biggest gift by being able to create a community of giving and christen my home as a place of joy and love. |
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