Ok, there are things I would like, and that could go on a wish list for Christmas, but when I look around me, I’m made acutely aware that I don’t need anything.
So, I’ll just scratch out that pretty Lange Sohne watch, the coffee machine, perfume and dinner service – what I’d really love is time and experiences…
Wouldn’t it be great if the kids came up with a gift certificate for, say, 10 evenings of babysitting the little’uns so we could have nights out, 5 hours work in the garden this spring, or 10 walks with the dogs… If they really felt they had to spend money on us – 2 cinema tickets with babysitting, perhaps, or a home cooked meal, prepared by them, here…
The same goes for me – instead of racking my brain to find gifts that are less likely to end up in the attic than others, why not give theatre tickets, invite people on a 3-day cruise to Denmark in January, make a gift certificate for 3 kgs of wild mushrooms, deliverable in the fall… the possibilities are endless.
I’m sure these kinds of gifts would be greatly appreciated by most people – I’d be thrilled to bits with any of these. The point (really!) isn’t the cost, it’s the thought. With one of these, you’ll know that the giver has thought about you, and is prepared to spend that most precious commodity – time – with you or for you.
Priceless!
Stumble it!
