Christmas, and Hanukkah overlap this year, Kwanza is right there too, so maybe you feel overwhelmed by the demands of gifting this year. The question is; Why Gift at all? Gifting out of obligation is no gift at all. Does this mean you should simply not gift? It could, if that is how you want to interpret this, however perhaps what you might be doing is asking yourself “why am I gifting in the first place?”
It really does not matter if you are selecting a gift for a special loved one, your “secret Santa”, or the mail carrier, if you see the act of giving as just that; giving of yourself. There cannot be any residual expectation connected with any gift, or it is not a gift at all. Instead it is more like extortion!
No matter what the incentive is to give a gift, if you can see gifting as sharing your joy of the season, the simple joy of life, or the joy of offering a small part of yourself, the act of giving is more about yourself than the of the recipient.
And here is a hidden bonus; when we give, we receive! This is a Spiritual Truth. We do not give to receive, we give, and as a result of giving we receive. What we receive is an affirmation of our caring to share joy with another person no matter if we see that person or not. No matter if we know that person or not. Gifting is a statement of caring, and isn’t it wonderful that in these times which seem like so many people are out only for themselves that we can make the statement that we, at least, care about others?
