Angela at Tracing Rainbows has published her first Pause in Advent posts, with the title Finding the Perfect Gift. I am piggy-backing on her post!
The holiday shopping season has started with bigger sales and discounts being offered early because, we are told, Thanksgiving (celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November) came so late this year that there are six fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas! Which means, there is less time to find that perfect gift! Black Friday sales have been brisk, apparently, and there is Cyber Monday still to come!
I like to give gifts to my family and friends. But, I have a budget and a lot of my gifts are homemade or bought on sale. Finding any gift on a budget is not that easy, never mind about finding the perfect gift! While I am of the opinion that it is the thought that counts, over the years, I've learned that not everyone thinks that way! For a lot of people, finding that perfect gift is important.
I don't know who is responsible for this need to find the perfect gift or why we feel we need to spend a lot of money to obtain it. However, I think the Three Wise Men have a lot to answer for, with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh! They raised the bar rather high, with their gifts, didn't they? Those were not inexpensive or homemade gifts, were they? They could have brought loaves of bread, jars of oil, or a woven carpet, but, instead, they brought lavish gifts, the very best of what they could give, to show honor to the recipient of their gifts, the child they've come so far to see. And, by doing so, they showed what a gift should be - the best of what there is to give. I think that is why we feel the need to find the perfect gift.
I, for one, don't think I can come close to their gifts with my jars of homemade jam or patchwork quilts or knitted hats that I will be giving, this holiday season, at Christmas to my Christian relatives and friends and on New Year to my Buddhist relatives and friends. But, I do hope that the love, thoughts, and effort I put into them will elevate my own, humble gifts to the level of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They may not be lavish gifts, but they will be gifts from the heart, and that, I hope, will make them all the perfect gift.
The giving up of your own time to make a gift for someone, together with the love, thought and effort that goes in to making that gift is something you can't put a price on.
ReplyDeleteThat is what I'm counting on, Eileen. :)
DeleteI think that the Magi had their reasons for the gifts they chose to bring, and maybe their usual gifts might not have been quite as lavish. But for the Baby Jesus at Bethlehem there had to be special significance in their offerings and no expense spared.
ReplyDeleteI was sorry that I couldn't access the video on Angela's blog.
Yes, I read a couple of articles, online, about the significance of each of their gifts. I am sure their gifts were given with much thought and consideration, but the fact remains, each was probably trying to give the perfect gift as the occasion demanded.
DeleteYou need to view the video on YouTube. When you click on the video on Angela's blog, there will be a message saying you need to view the video on YouTube; I clicked on that portion of the message and it took me to the video on YouTube.
Bushlady - sorry the video didn't work for you. You might be able to get it via https://adventconspiracy.org/
DeleteVery interesting perspective on why some think they need lavish gifts. I've never thought about things that way.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking that the people who need lavish gifts aren't the ones thinking about the Christmas story and the Wisemen very often.
Yes, I am afraid you are probably right, Live and Learn. Maybe that's not exactly why we go for lavish gifts, these days! We might have other reasons for spending a lot of time and effort to find that perfect gift for someone and, no doubt, some of us get caught up in the process and lose sight of why exactly we are doing what we are doing. Which is really a shame when you think about it.
DeleteThanks for the post, Bless. Gifts given with live, however simple, are always the best
DeleteThank you, Angela. That is what I believe, too. I always say that it is the thought that counts. :)
DeleteI love getting homemade gifts. We started exchanging names in our family and the gift has to be handmade OR something repurposed and can't cost more than $25. It is fun and has taken so much of the pressure out of spending so much money. Everyone was on board with it. Of course, we still buy for the kids but that is pretty easy. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI, too, love receiving homemade gifts, Diana. Partly because I like to give homemade gifts, myself. We've done a couple of "White Elephant" gift exchanges, with the extended family, but, my cousins and I still exchange gifts. I don't mind; I like to give gifts. :)
DeletePersonally I would much rather have a gift that someone had made or put thought into than something that was expensive and just randomly chosen. I try to put thought into each gift I give. I must admit that I don't give many homemade anymore - calendars now mostly of photos that I've taken and one special handmade one for my Mum - as I found that people in my circle didn't really appreciate them or know how much time something had taken.
ReplyDeleteI think that those of us who do crafts appreciate the homemade gifts more than those who don't. I have the same situation with members of my family - a few of them do appreciate the time and effort put into a homemade gift, others don't appreciate them quite as much. I still give some homemade gifts, but, I pick and choose who gets a homemade gift and who gets something store bought. :)
DeleteIf I give a homemade gift I usually include something else with it. A jar of preserves will be in a basket with a spreader and some unusual teas. A potholder might be wrapped with a slotted spoon and a metal spatula, and so forth. I like to get gifts that I honestly want. This year the top of my wish list is some refillable K cups for my keurig. I have 8 of them and they are just about toast!
ReplyDeleteThat is a very good idea, Anne, to package the homemade item with something else that goes with it. I've done something similar in the past - kitchen towels with a jar of jam, etc.
DeleteI hope you get your refillable K cups! Have you written your letter to Santa, yet?
A very interesting observation that the Wise Men are responsible for the quest for perfect gifts! I'm sure that you are right, however, that a gift from the heart, made with love, or something thoughtfully purchased, is what is most important.
ReplyDeleteI think we all want to give that gift that makes an impression on the recipient, the one they like the best. I really don't know why giving gifts has become so closely associated with Christmas, but, I believe that the arrival of the Wise Men and their gifts, on the 12th day of Christmas or Epiphany, has something to do with it.
DeleteI would much prefer a knitted hat or homemade jam. To me they are lavish gifts because of the time and effort spent making them. X
ReplyDeleteI, too, prefer homemade items, Jules, because I do appreciate the time and effort that goes into their making. :)
DeleteI think what you wrote is brilliant and I haven't thought about the lavishness of their gifts before- you are right!!! You are right about giving from the heart though- that is the important thing!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kezzie. I think our search for the perfect gift is partly because we really do want to give what we think will be the best gift, the one that will please the recipient the most. Maybe we get a bit carried away in trying to find that perfect gift and tend to lose sight of what we are celebrating in the first place.
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