THE ART AND JOY OF GIFTING

 Whenever it's gifting time, I get super excited. I love to be at the giving end rather than the receiving end. According to me, a gift is anything given willingly to someone without expecting anything in return. It could be given as a token of affection or to honor an occasion; could be materialistic or non-materialistic, but the ultimate purpose of it is to make the recipient happy, in turn making the giver happy. Through this article, I would like to share my thoughts on what I perceive to be good gifts.

 To me, gifting is an art. "My loved ones should always receive the 'perfect gift'" is the thought that runs through my mind during their special occasion. My friends disagree with this. "We are not
expecting anything but your company on all our big days" is what they tell, to which I would completely agree. Gifts are never a substitute for a caring attitude,love or affection. I would not
expect a gift either, but through gifting, I get the pleasure of witnessing the joy on their face while opening my gift, a bit selfish though. Rather than a simple monetary transaction, I consider the effort on thought as an opportunity to learn their likes and dislikes and know more about them.

 I have always felt that a gift should be chosen carefully; the thought to it and the sentimental value adds up to 75% of the 'perfect gift'. For instance, a friend of mine wanted her boyfriend to buy her a dress. She hinted that to him two days before her birthday. However, on the big day, he gifted her a voucher to the clothing store. He was being practical. "I am not sure on how to choose, so now you can buy whatever you want". But according to her, that was not the point. It was the sentimental value that she wanted.

 I read an article talks about what our gifting habits say about us.“The more the relationship matters, the more we worry about getting it right,” says Karen Pine, a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in Hertfordshire, England, who actually studies the psychology behind giving gifts.

 I personally love gifting something hand-made. Even if it turns out to be something that was not what you intended or funny, the recipient would still appreciate the effort and value that more than the gift.

 I feel that the perfect gift could also be something that the recipient will enjoy but does not know he/she needs. It suggests that the giver had put in deep thought on what he/she might like. A friend of mine gifted a sweatshirt to his friend who had never really thought about the need of it,though he used to travel on motor-bike for 2 or more hours everyday. With these thoughts, I am looking forward to give more joy to my loved ones and elevate my gift-giving to an art.

Happy gifting!!