It’s the time of year to give gifts and as usual we are all wearing out shoe leather shopping for suitable presents for friends and family. 

The gift thing is difficult though – what on earth do you buy for relatives you rarely see but once or twice a year?  It’s not that we don’t care; it’s just that we don’t spend time with the people we are expected to buy for.  How do we know what size they are?  How do we know what their interests are?  Our own interests change throughout the year and as each new hobby surfaces, our gift requirements alter accordingly, right?  Where do we start?

Over recent years, our children have learned some unfortunate habits where the exchange of gifts is concerned.  Certainly it is right to give gifts but for so many children, the receiving of gifts at special times of the year such as Christmas has become a celebration of self rather than a celebration of friendship and love; an occasion where adults shower all the kids in the family with expensive gifts they go into debt to pay for; sometimes paying off credit card debt for the whole of the year to sponsor the twenty minutes of ‘gift opening’ frenzy that takes place at Christmas time.

The essence of friendship should not be how much a gift costs or whether it is the most up to date gadget in the playground this year; it should be about the messages of friendship and love; the gift that says, ‘This is what I chose for you because you mean so much to me’ – rather than. ‘This is what everyone is wearing this winter, and it cost a lot!’

Gift giving has become out of control for adults.  A number of people now choose to take a winter holiday or cruise so they can avoid the Christmas gift frenzy without appearing to be a tight wad!  (Oh, we were in the Caribbean this year – hope you all enjoyed the snow…!)  So many of these people would quite enjoy a Christmas at home but cannot face the endless present hunting in the snow, looking for exactly the right electronic gadget for sister’s children and it has to be the latest and the right one for each or they will fight…and so on…very sad…

It is time to recover the spirit of gift giving and time to teach our children the sentiments of giving a gift that means something more than a passing passion for the same novelty items everyone else has.  To give a meaningful friendship gift is to give something of yourself to someone you care for.

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