On the eve of the upcoming New Year, I decided to write such an article. Holidays are approaching and now it is time to pay tribute to the old tradition and prepare gifts for relatives and friends. Some consider the donation process to be tainted by tradition, a relic of ancient rituals, and therefore proceed to this without much enthusiasm. And someone does not think about why give presentsbut simply does it solely out of respect for tradition. Meanwhile, the gift has a very important social function, which I will discuss in this article.
Also, when we figure out why gifts are needed at all, let's talk about what should be the gift.
Why give gifts?
In the very act of giving, the most important thing is not the gift itself as a material thing, but those feelings and motivations that stand behind it. This can be caring, participation, attention, love, friendship, a desire to improve relations, apologies, etc. The gift is only the material embodiment of these positive emotions, it can serve as a pleasant reminder of them to another person. As a gift, we also show attention. And this means not only that you remembered a person on some holiday and decided to congratulate him.
It expresses your participation, the ability to listen and feel another person. A good gift matched to the tastes and desires of the donated object says that you have taken into account all the little “wishes” of another person (I don’t mean direct hints like “oh, what kind of fur coat I want this”, and some of any intent) that you listened to him, took part in what he said, and did not ignore his words, thinking only of himself and his own.
The gift is a symbol of empathy. People love when they are shown attention and listen, so they love good gifts that are chosen for them. This is the meaning of giving, you make it clear to another person that you are with him, remember him and do not stand aside, indifferently looking at his life, caring only about your own. The act of giving is the strengthening of social relations: love, friendship and kinship.
And the New Year is an excellent reason to stop thinking about yourself and think about others, at least for a while. Take a break from looping on your own desires and put yourself in the place of loved ones. Think of a gift that fits them. But what should be the gift?
What should be the gift
The highest grace in this matter will be to guess the hidden, not formed in the words of the desire of another person and anticipate them with a great gift! For example, your friend passionately loves music, but never thought about playing a musical instrument, it simply did not occur to you, and then suddenly you are giving him a brand new piano, guitar or flute. This is able to please a person very much, since such a gift marks a new stage in the interests of the individual, precedes a new hobby that may remain with her for life, and does not constitute just one more thing.
A good gift is a thing that matches the tastes and desires of the one to whom you give it. Otherwise, he will not express all the attention and participation that he can demonstrate. Such a gift is most suitable for a loved one, for a friend. It never hurts to inquire about the wishes of this person, after talking with his relatives, maybe you will come up with some kind of joint gift, from which he will be delighted.
If you can not find anything to suit your tastes, then just some original thing will do. The proven formula for a great gift is “what he (she) wants (or would like if he knew about such a thing), but never would he have bought (bought) himself”. That is, such a thing must be in the nature of some excesses. For example, an abstract Vasya, of course, would not have refused a wider monitor for a computer, but as long as he is satisfied with the one he has - a small one. In order to save money, he doesn’t want to spend money on such a thing, which he already has, just a better one. But if he had been given it to him, it would have come in very handy and he would have been very happy about it.
It may be all sorts of not very practical, but, but pleasant things or even services: a coupon for a massage, a parachute jump or a flight on an airplane (just make sure that the one to whom you present it will endure such an extreme), Something decorative, beautiful thing, cool accessory for a computer, tablet or phone ...
If we don’t get surprised at all with a gift, then donate at least something. For many, it’s really not so important what you give them, the main thing for them is simply congratulations: especially for your elderly relatives of grandparents. An original gift is nice, but not important in every case.
And remember, a gift not only demonstrates your participation, attention, but also your concern for spiritual well-being, the health of another person. Therefore, even if your friend or relative lover of a drink, you do not need to give him another bottle, which he will gladly finish off at the holidays. I believe that a gift, no matter how pleasant it is, should not bear harm to health and you, as its donor, should not encourage unhealthy addictions of your loved ones.
So give gifts, showing attention to your loved ones and attach at least a little creativity, ingenuity and diligence to this process. And I congratulate you on the upcoming holidays. Wait for new pre-Christmas articles!
