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Aging: On Giving

Christmas gifts.
Christmas gifts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
My husband and I have been absent from the family holidays gift giving tradition for quite a while. Oh, we have given gift certificates and money but no shopping or thinking was required. Actually, it wasn't even very much fun. I am one of those people that loves buying gifts and I have a hard time not giving the Christmas gift away long before Christmas if I buy it early. Why did I stop doing that?

But things are different this Christmas Season. It has been a lot of fun. We have come up with the idea that we might "re-gift" this year and, when we didn't do that, we searched at thrift stores for perfect gifts. Then we filled in with new things we found as we shopped at every store in the area. It wasn't easier but it was more interesting.

As we age we do seem to forget how to shop for gifts. I found myself surprised at the cost for some items and surprised again at how little others cost. In fact, it could be that my husband and I may have lost touch with what is going on in the market place. This is a new beginning for us. The joy of giving is not about money and gift cards. It is all about thinking of each person and reconnecting with what they are all about. The art of giving can be a forgotten talent if a person doesn't nurture it. I for one am going to try remember how to give.

Have a wonderful day!

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  1. Linda MyersNovember 25, 2014 at 9:45 PM

    We don't do much any more either. We send gift cards to half a dozen grandchildren and wish the rest of them a good holiday.

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    1. Barbara TorrisNovember 28, 2014 at 5:35 PM

      We have three little grandchildren that have brought a renewed interest in Santa Claus and the magic of the holidays. I think we are very lucky because we were at that just giving a card + money stage. I am having lots of fun.

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