If you want to put a smile on someone’s face or lighten their mood, do a simple gesture of kindness, like a gift. A gift can lighten even the saddest mood in seconds. Try it and you will see.
There are different types of gifts: a gift of companionship, a gift of compliments, a gift of material things. They say that there is no gift too small, and this is true. Every gift is an act of kindness and should be appreciated, no matter how small.
Everyone has their own kind of gift. In my 20s, I value tangible gifts more than compliments or friendship gifts. But now I value compliments so much, like having someone support my work, and socials, like being able to laugh in the company of great people.
It’s Yuletide and a time for gift-giving. What kind of gifts do you like and what kind of gift have you received? In Spain, there are so many gifts for every celebration. We have Noche Buena, Noche vieja and el dia de los Reyes. On these 3 days, the gifts have to fly. If I don’t receive gifts on those days, I feel lonely and abandoned. Yes, you heard me right. That’s why my friends and I try to keep up this tradition so we can feel the season and its blessings.
This year’s Christmas was no exception. I received all 3 types of gifts that I have always wanted.
A gift of companionship – This is the most precious gift to me. If you live abroad and are busy and single, you know what it means to have free time and great people around you. I had the opportunity to get together with my friend and her family, with whom I spent Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Aside from the socializing, she cooks great food. I had to throw out my diet rules to enjoy the taste of Nigerian dishes and laugh out loud at the same time. It felt so good to stay away from my books and health documentaries.
A gift of compliments – When you reach a certain age, you don’t want criticism, you want objective criticism. You want people to praise your works and projects. These compliments motivate you and make you feel like you are doing well. I have been working on this project for some time. So I sent the sample to some good friends and lo and behold, I got compliments and more ideas on how to improve it to make it perfect. This friend, who is a professional in this field, took time with me and clarified some of my questions that were hanging in the air. This is something I would have paid so much for, but I got it on a golden platter and that’s why I called it a gift.
Tangible Gifts – It’s true that no gift is too small and should be appreciated as an act of kindness. But I place more value on something I can use than something I can’t. In my opinion, it’s good to talk to the person receiving the gift before you give it. This way you will know what the person wants at that time.
My friend called me on December 17, 2022, as he does every year, to ask me what I wanted for the 3 special days of the Christmas season in Barcelona. In one of our everyday conversations, I already mentioned my diet and wellness journey and that I would love to document it.
On the first day of Christmas, I received one of the best gifts I ever wished for. A smart scale. This is an electronic scale that electronically measures my body mass, fat and muscle composition, bone density, water retention, heart rate and temperature. This device is a great help when it comes to achieving my weight loss goals. When I received it, I cheered excitedly because it is a gift that I will treasure.
I also received an electronic calorie counter, the Smart Scale. It allows me to record all of my foods and the calories they contain, making it my essential kitchen companion. It came with over 999 food codes and almost 80,000 nutritional facts in the app. I am sure I will love it very much.
While admiring my precious gifts, I received another test notification from Amazon informing me of another package. It’s typical, it’s festive, it was supposed to be three gifts, but I wasn’t expecting it this early because it wasn’t January 6 yet. The gift makes sense. I loved it – a bathtub table. I’m one of those people who takes time once a week to thoroughly scrub my skin and pamper myself. This act takes me about two hours. I had been wanting something that would allow me to watch a movie or read my favorite book at the same time while grooming myself. And this gift really brightened my mood.
However, not all of the gifts I received were so much appreciated. At my workplace, there’s this tradition of a Christmas party for the employees. And there are usually gifts there. Some are great and some are lol….I reserve comment. So this year I got a bottle of juice. I wasn’t disappointed, after all it was a gift. I don’t drink juice. I will give it to someone who would like to drink it. I also received a gift card which I found more practical.
Gift cards are a great gift idea if you have no idea what the person likes. With a gift card, the person can choose what is most important to get.
Giving gifts is an act of kindness on the part of the giver. The recipient’s reaction depends on how much value the person places on that gift and the relationship between them. If you want to give a gift to make a statement, you should find out what the person wants so much. You would not want to give a gift of chocolate to someone who is trying to avoid sugar and lose weight. This gift may be accepted in good faith, but the person would not value it as much. they would give it to someone who values it more. Getting to know what the person wants would give you an idea of what the receiver would value most.
