I had this nudge of reading back my old post just now and it so happened that the first click I made on page 7 was on Christmas =) How timely. Little did I remember saving this article exactly a year ago in my draft. Heh~time really flies. I thought it was really wise and true of what the writer convey. Many times we over spent on buying presents or unconsciously tie the amount of the present to the importance of the person in our lives. Not that gifts aren't important, I'm one who loves receiving them ;) but little do we appreciate the person in our lives with affirmative words be it telling them in words or in note form. I'm learning never to take for granted the people in my lives.
The picture of the note above was given by one of my youth at the time when I was still serving in DARE. It's pasted on my cupboard till today. Everyday when I walk in to my room I see it. Maybe she didn't meet the budget to get me something more than what most of my friends gave then but she stick on this note with a small gift. It meant so much more to me than the gift itself because it tells me how much i'm loved =) It need not be beautiful.
I love what my boss told me when I was making the portfolio. It's not about how pretty the book is. When the parents open and see it, their attention is all on their child's picture, not the book. When they watch their kids perform, no normal parent would look out for another child. It's not about how beautiful or expensive the gift is, but how much the person you're giving to knows you care for them =)
-----------------------------------------------
Does it really mean anything? When I look at all of the gifts under the tree, I simultaneously see both the joy of giving gifts as well as the expense that went into it. Is that gift really a worthwhile expense at all? What I’m really trying to show with each gift is a way of saying “I love you.” To me, that’s the purpose of a Christmas gift - to tangibly say to someone that they’re important to you and that you care for them. Because of that desire, it’s often easy to fall right into the trap of giving an expensive gift to someone and not worrying about the dollar amount simply because you do care for them and you do love them.
That’s fine if you’re in good financial shape, but so many Americans are not. At least one person very close to me has taken out a home equity loan just to pay for Christmas this year. Another woman in line in front of me at a store recently had her credit card declined while making a $25 purchase.
If Christmas is about saying “I love you” to the important people in your life, say it directly instead of just showing it.
Write some heartfelt notes to people and include them with a more modest gift. I’m planning on doing this with at least a few Christmas gifts this year.
Promise to do something truly thoughtful for the person instead of buying another present. One of the best gifts I’ve received recently wasn’t an item at all. It was a gift of a bed to sleep in and an evening alone with my wife, courtesy of a caring aunt who invited us to spend a weekend at her home. She pledged to watch our children while we spent an evening like we used to before the kids were born. Does it cost her anything? No. Does it mean a lot to us? Undoubtedly. Does it reflect a lot of familial love? Of course.
Better yet, at some point during your holiday celebration, take the time to sit down with each person you care about and tell them that you love them and thank them for being a part of your life. That will mean far more than any tchotchke you can stick under the tree this year - and all it costs is a few minutes of your time. Talk about a bargain.
Christmas is about love, not about who can put the best material item under the tree. Keep that in mind and don’t spend yourself into a giant mountain of credit card debt this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment