Out of Chaos an organizing newsletter
A Golden Opportunity
Every year I struggle to make Christmas meaningful. I know I can’t fight our consumer culture by giving my children only books and handmade wooden toys that they don’t want, but I also try to resist swinging the other way, and overdoing it: buying them both the stuff they want and the things I want them to want.
And that right there is the problem. Recently a friend told me about an article she had read on all the different kinds of “bad” gifts people give: the gift you give because you want someone to be different, like a frilly dress to your daughter who prefers jeans and sweatshirts, or a book on nutrition to your overweight spouse. There are the gifts that show a lack of attention—the collectibles that the recipient no longer cares about, or never did. Then there are the gifts that you want, so you buy them for someone else, who may not share your taste. The list goes on, but how can you avoid all these pitfalls?
The best gifts are those that reveal that the giver really knows us, and has really thought about us. It’s not easy; it takes a lot more effort. But this year, I’m trying to see gift-giving as an opportunity to think about who the people in my life are right now—not who they used to be, not who I want them to be, but who they are today.
So this holiday, take the opportunity to slow down and really connect with your loved ones. Not only will it improve your gift giving all through the year, but you may discover something new and surprising. And that would be the sweetest gift of all.