Gifts

The holiday season is a time of the year when there is an increased emphasis on the presence of those around you. Spending time with family, friends, and close acquaintances in deliberate ways is a gift in itself. The time together should be cherished. In celebration of the holidays, gift exchanges are a typical practice. These “gifts” and what are considered to be gifts during the holidays follow a normal progression as you age.

As a child, running to the Christmas tree in the morning to see what gifts there are is both a blessing and a joyous opportunity. Children have the highest expectations for what gifts they will open. They are saddened when they open a pair of socks but jump around in excitement when they open a new Lego set or doll. Children love receiving a new toy and focus their desire for gifts on the material world. Children are filled with the desire to receive more than they give. As they receive, they fill others around them with joy and excitement based on their reactions.

As you age and become an adult, your focus on receiving gifts should naturally change to immaterial items. Material items are still desired but they aren’t considered an absolute necessity for enjoying your time on the holidays. You want to be able to spend time with those you love above all else. You are also focused on the gift of experiences and the joy of giving. You enjoy being a bystander as a younger sibling, your child, or younger cousin opens their new toy. You enjoy giving the gift of a vacation to your parents or tickets to a concert to share with your significant other. You care much more about giving than ever before because the gift of giving, is a gift itself.

Continuing to age makes you understand how fleeting life is. Your children will grow up and move out of your house. Your parents will grow old. The time you spend together naturally decreases as you age. The holidays are meant to be a time to bring everyone together. In this period, experiencing time together is the greatest gift of all. As your perception of what a “gift” is changes from material items to experiences, you come to realize later that the only required gift for the holidays is the shared time together. Whether you choose to receive a gift, choose to give a gift, or both, understand and appreciate the gift life has given you, the gift of being together.