DAY 268

a simple joy

One of the things I love best is giving presents. And it´s not due  only to the giving fact itself, but also to the joy I feel in advance of the moment and mainly due to preparations. I adore looking for the right gift, something meaningful and heartfelt and wrapping it up. Indeed, I am the type of person that always answers NO! when a shop assistant says: Should I gift wrap it?

I remember as a child thinking of a present for weeks, making it with my own two hands and taking a lot of time to make the cutest packages. When I grew up I kept this habit, most of my family members are fond of giving and receiving presents so it was not difficult to do it : there is always a special occasion, a birthday or just a meeting where we usually exchanges gifts

However, a few years ago when my siblings, relatives and friends seemed to have everything you could think about and some of them were maybe a bit too keen on name brand merchandise or expected expensive presents, most of my fun was ruined. Giving presents still was important to me, but became a more trivial and monotonous task than before

But from some time now, there is a growing trend towards accepting that a good gift doesn´t depend on money, but on wit, it is not a matter of cost, is a mater of appreciation

Of course, the main reason why this is happening is the current economic crisis, even when this need to simplify is also related to a new conscious that tries to be less materialistic, more respectful  and is focused on what really matters and not on consumerism

I am not going to say that little things made with much love are the best because it sounds not very sincere when the words economic crisis and gifts are written in the same paragraph. And I am not going to say that complicated situations can hold unexpected benefits because it sounds not only like a cliché but somehow unfair...

But I will say that having the opportunity to play again when I have to give a gift is utterly delightful