Why do we give Presents?

We all talk about how Christmas has been spoiled by blatant commercialisation. We don't want to be harassed into buying expensive presents that we can't afford, for people who don't want them, etc. We want to make life simpler, think of the deeper meaning of Christmas and keep spending on food and presents, if not down to a minimum, at least within a budget. We say that we will buy one present per person, and that's it!

Perhaps we should ask ourselves "Why do we give presents to people anyway?" and "Have we let it become such an onerous chore that we just want to get it over and done with, and then we can forget about it?" What about the pleasure we should gain simply by giving a well-considered gift to someone special because we love them, we want to thank them, or we just want to give them pleasure from our gift.

A well-considered gift doesn't necessarily need to be expensive, shop bought, or even new. Peggy tells of the wonderful Christmas weekend her family has already celebrated with gifts that were either homemade or secondhand. It was the thought and the care that went into their selection and creation that made them so special.

Let's not deny ourselves the pleasure of giving, if it is within our means. Perhaps we could even give our time, our labour, or our expertise as a gift. These things can rarely be given a monetary price, but their value may be worth more than you realise.

Let us enjoy this Christmas, not only the receiving but even more importantly, the giving.