Gifts (i.e., presents) become a lot less meaningful when you’re an adult, have a job, and can mostly buy the things you want when you like. But when you’re a child, a big part of the excitement around your Birthday or holidays like Christmas are the gifts. For a while now, most of our family (Julia excluded), has been deliberately scaling back the material gift giving around holidays. And for good reason. I mean, do you really need another sweater? I’m slightly embarrassed to say when the weather turned this year, I counted 22 sweaters in my closet. That’s silly.
…but having said that, there is something so delightful about receiving, or even better, giving, a gift that hits just right. When you find something unique that demonstrates a deep understanding of the person’s interests or wants, it is so satisfying. And it doesn’t need to be expensive or an item necessarily. It just needs to satisfy the recipient. I’m planning to start keeping a mini tracker of gift ideas for family, friends, and colleagues because I often struggle to come up with a great idea when it’s time-sensitive around the event. Hopefully, it pays off this year and if not, well, there’s always another sweater!