the joy of giving / why I love Christmas! / wishing people joy
I LOVE giving gifts! But I'm very particular about how I do it, and if I can't find the right gift I'd rather give nothing at all (and when I do give, my gifts are often late because I didn't find the gift in time, or couldn't afford it in time). To me, the perfect gift is something that the person would enjoy (of course), that represents an intersection of our interests -- especially something that we both like that is unusual. If we have little in common, I'll get something that represents a passion of theirs, or something that represents their personality to me. So if I don't know a person very well, or they have very particular taste, then I usually won't be able to get them anything. Sometimes I'll be brave and make a guess though.
And I love giving Christmas presents! I LOVE Christmas, not because of the ties to Christianity (though I like those too) but because it is the time of year when SO MANY people make extra effort to be kind to one another. People smile a little more and are more generous. They not only buy gifts for those they know and love, but they donate to make sure that less fortunate people will get a taste of the magic, and they give small acts of kindness to strangers. A few days ago, there was a two-hour chain of Starbucks customers who paid for the coffee of the person behind them in line! That sort of generosity thrills me! And people all over the place (in the US anyway) put up beautiful sparkly lights to decorate their houses and give joy to passers-by. Every time I see a house all lit up with colorful lights, I feel like I am living in a truly magical world, a world of joyful people who want to celebrate love and share with others. That's my favorite part, really -- the feeling that everyone I meet is connected by this celebration of giving. That's what Christmas means to me -- joy through giving.
I have most of my Christmas presents purchased now (yay me! some of them might actually arrive on time!), but there are a few VERY IMPORTANT people whom I just CANNOT figure out what to get! If you have a wishlist online anywhere, please make sure I have it. If it isn't listed there, drop me a link please! If you DON'T have a wishlist, please tell me what genres of things you like. Don't worry, I'm not going to feel obligated to get what you list, whether wishlist or genre-list. I never feel obligated; that's the great thing about preferring bluntness to politeness :D Here's my list, so you can see what I mean:
I love:anything glass!
tiny vessels (bottles, mini vases, boxes)
ancient Egyptian stuff
fantasy / sci-fi / feminist / spiritual / historical-fiction [books]
snow leopards / dragonflies / fae / unicorns [art, jewelry, or figurines]
& other stuff, but you get the idea.
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On a related note, I really don't understand why people get all het up over others wishing them a happy holiday-they-don't-celebrate. If I celebrate something, then my happy wishes are going to be connected to that! I would be happy if someone wished me Happy Hanukkah or Cheerful Kwanzaa or Joyful Ramadan, even though I don't celebrate them. The point is, that person is sharing their joy with me, and I welcome it -- what does it matter what label it wears? joy is joy!
*merry Christmas dance*