The time of Christmas has made me - once more - think about giving and getting. Christmas, obviously, is a time of giving presents and also receiving them. I, however, realised that giving gives me often more than receiving.
Probably I am odd, but I can imagine that many people feel the same way when someone you love or like very much opens your present and beams with joy. This is a real gift and much more valuable than any material gift you could get - at least it is for me. Giving can mean to not only reveal a part of yourself, but also admitting how much you know about this other person's soul. These kind of gifts mostly come with people you have known for a while, of course. For instance, I gave my sister a bag for this Christmas - not a very exciting gift for starters. However, I know she loves bags and is - as I am - girly and loves flowers, little birds and bright colours. The perfect store for both of us, therefore, is Cath Kidston London. I love the floral patterns and material of which the bags are made. I always have a look around, but, normally, buy hardly anything as bags come with prices. This pre-Christmas season I went there and, our of mere luck, there was a hug bag sale on and I not only netted a bag for me, but also for my sister. Funnily enough, as soon as my sister had set eyes on my bag, she begged me to buy her one as soon as get back to England. With a hidden smirk, I promised to do so, knowing, of course, that another bag was already lying under the Christmas tree. Yesterday evening (in Austria we unwrap our presents on Christmas Eve), I was more excited about her unwrapping my present than opening my own. She screeched with joy and her joy made me so happy that I couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the evening. Of course, we also gift people we don't know that well (at least I do). However, that doesn't mean that a gift cannot be given from the heart. Three days before Christmas, I met someone whom I have seen regularly since I was fifteen, but whose name I don't even know. He is a migrant who sells newspapers for two euros of which he can keep one euro. As Innsbruck is really small and these sellers usually stand in the same place, I happened to meet him quite a lot during my school time and although I hardly ever bought a paper, I always chatted with him and we are on very friendly terms. Now, I saw him again and we were cheerful and happy to see each other again. I asked him how long he would stay, and he answered all day long as it was Christmas time and then people were more eager to give and due to the last Christmas shoppers, there were plenty of people on the streets. I finished my shopping and then bought a boy of chocolates for him. When I returned to where he sold his newspapers and handed over the box, he cheered and hugged me with genuine joy and gratefulness. I was completely overwhelmed as I had hardly ever got such a reaction for a box of chocolates. This turned out to be one of the most wonderful gifts I gave this Christmas, as the reaction was so heart-warming that I still have to smile when I think about it. Whenever I give people wonderful things - as small they may be - I always think I have to do that more often during the year, but mostly forget about it, which is a shame. So my first New Year's Eve promise to myself will be to give more in order to bring more joy and happiness not only into other people's lives, but also to my own.
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AuthorIn September 2015 I started a new chapter of my life by moving (temporarily or permanently, not yet decided) to England where I work and socialise now. Archives
December 2017
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