Gifts, feelings, and occasions

I  enjoy receiving and giving gifts. Who doesn't? The moment I say gifts, our mind draws pictures of birthdays, weddings, or major cultural festivals where we exchange gifts with our loved ones. Sharing presents has become a tradition for these occasions. 

While this is all great and fun but I prefer to practice another model of sharing presents, which is driven more by thoughtfulness. This is the model where you not only recognize the conventional moments such as birthdays or graduation but are also mindful of the other occasions. These other occasions may not necessarily come wrapped with a tag of celebration or an explicit call reaching out for something, but you know that those occasions hold a special meaning in the other person's life. When you follow the latter case, you are

giving (or receiving) purely out of your care for the other person and not out of any give and take protocol or bound by any tradition.

And to add to that, the surprise element. If you are on the receiving end, you are not expecting anything but when you receive it, it develops a bond between the sender and recipient organically. I find such friendships and bonds valuable and long-lasting rather than limiting to only birthday presents or such. I have been fortunate to have received such pleasant surprises and I can relive the sentiment I experienced during those times. Grateful and happy.

Now, this is not to advocate for purely random gifts. The main point is to look at the opportunity and gift as something that serves to foster and strengthen a bond and not just a tradition. And it may not even be a gift per se. Think of a card with a hand-written, thoughtful message. 

What do you think? Do you adhere and are happy with the conventional timings such as birthdays or do you follow a personalized gifting style as well? 

Do share in the comments section. I would love to hear from you!

Dippy