The nature of gifts.
At this time of year, I feel it important to talk about the nature of gifts. I’ve grown up in a Christmas-crazy home where the Christmas feeling has been shoved down my throat from late November to the end of December. Therefore, I want to sa that yes, my relationship with Christmas is complicated. I also want to say that this text isn’t as influenced by that position of mine as one might think.
Gifts have been strange to me for a long time. Not the intention or thought of “I appreciate you, I want to give you something.” But rathe the thought of everybody liking each other just the same amount at the same time of year and showing it in approximately the same way. Cause that’s how I’ve seen gifts, as something tangible that you wrap up to give to someone else.
Today I read something that kind of shifted this view. It’s about how gifts are the things we create and give without expectations. That the best gift is accompanied with “Here, I made this (effort). Do as you please with it!”. When we are gifted something, we don’t feel an obligation to do anything. In looking upon gifts like that, we free up a lot of energy and expectations, but we also make it a lot more fun to create gifts.
If the gifting is something we can create or think of that we put effort in to, it will never matter what the recipient thinks of the gift itself. It allows us to create something that we want to create rather than something someone wants. It creates freedom, which is what I think gifting is embodying.
Of course, because the nature of the word gift changes, the tradition of presents doesn’t. It feels important with the distinction between giving someone something because it’s culturally appropriate to do so at the specific time, and creating something because we enjoy creating it and giving it away.
What do you want to gift the world today?
