In the December 2024 ActiveRain Challenge, it was asked what the best gift to give might be. To me, it is any gift from the heart. It doesn't have to be expensive, it just has to be meaningful.
I think this resonates with me since I always loved the song and the meaning behind "The Little Drummer Boy".
I remember for my 14th birthday, my parents took me to a restaurant where my brother worked. He said "How would you like a brand new bicycle for your birthday?" Of course I was elated and enthusiastically said "YES. He replied, "Great, you come in on Monday to work and start earning it." I worked there for 3 years and bought myself way more than a bike!
Then, many years later, my wife and I had a great friend that worked at the same company as my wife. When my wife was having a bad day, the friend would call me to inform me it was "Flower Day". I would send or deliver flowers to cheer my wife up. She never learned that her friend helped me be a better husband since I always seemed to care when it was needed.
Last year, I was dating a woman with a very giving heart. When we would go out to lunch or dinner, she would have some handmade pins or hair accessories that she would give to the bartender or wait staff. She presented those gifts at the beginning of our service, and they meant more to them than a $20 tip, even though I still tipped generously on top of that for the holidays.
She made me a shirt with a snowman sewn on the back since she knew I loved to ski and be outdoors. Even though we are no longer dating, I still love the gift and wear it often since it goes perfect with my Santa hat and beard. The fact I still think highly of her helps too.
She is a "Jeep Girl" and loves giving away little plastic ducks as part of that tradition. Therefore, one of the gifts I gave her was a box of 100 ducks so she could enjoy regifting them.
As I reminisce about impact of gifts and presents, I recall the story of the little kid that wanted $20 for Christmas because she knew her father made $40 an hour, and wanted to buy 30 minutes of his time so they could be together. That made me sad, yet it drove the point home!
I think about the story my mother shared about the psychological study of the two twin boys regarding optimism and pessimism. They locked the two boys up separately, one in a room full of candy and toys; while the other one was locked in a room full of manure. A few hours later, they came to check on the children and the kid with all the toys and candy was crying because all the batteries were dead and he had a stomach ache. They got really concerned for the second child and when they checked on him, he was excitedly throwing handfuls of crap all over with a huge smile on his face. When asked, he said "With all this crap, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!"
The moral of this blog is that gifts do not have to be expensive, they just have to have true meaning. I also recall a seminar I went to when I was first starting in real estate nearly 35 years ago, when the instructor said "They won't care how much you know, until they know how much you care!"
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
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