I’ve been thinking a lot about gifts lately.  Mostly because it’s Christmas and I’m buying/making gifts, but also because I made one of my Quest46 goals all about gift giving.  #11 is “Send two ‘thinking of you gifts’ every month.”  It’s been so much fun thinking about different people and how I can surprise them.

I know you’ve all experienced watching a loved one open a gift from you and seeing the expression on their face that says, “It’s exactly what I wanted.  How did you know?” Giving meaningful gifts is probably one of the best feelings in the world.  Along with the gift, the person receives the amazing feeling that they were genuinely thought of by another person.

As an example, this past weekend I spent an afternoon with a group of long time friends.  While munching on yummy appetizers and catching up on life, we also exchanged Christmas gifts.  Without exception each gift was perfectly suited to each person and there was as much joy in the giving as there was in the receiving.  There was an attentiveness to the uniqueness of each person that made the time we spent amazing.

As I’ve been thinking through this idea of gift giving, I’ve decided there’s an art to the giving of gifts.  To be done well, it requires time and attentiveness.  Sometimes it demands sacrifice and it’s always best expressed through an attitude of love.  I must admit that I LOVE giving gifts, but I haven’t always been the best artist.  I want to be better at this – at noticing and genuinely caring for the loved ones in my life.

Tomorrow, I’m talking about how to best receive gifts especially when a gift doesn’t measure up to our expectations.  Stay tuned….

Can I just say that I LOVE that you LOVE to give gifts – especially tasty treat type gifts?