Gift Giving

Tomorrow is my friend’s birthday. She and I have been friends longer than anyone else. For the most part, during her birthday’s she’s content with just getting a “Happy Birthday” from me. This year, until recently, I hadn’t thought too much about it. This year her birthday happens to land on Easter. She asked me a few weeks ago to take her out to her family’s farm about a half hour away. I agreed, because I have the weekend off, I love hanging out with her and her family is interesting. Typically, I don’t feel pressured into giving her stuff. This year is different though. I feel because her entire family is going to be there, I should do something for her.

 

I’m a horrible gift giver. When I have to pick out a gift, knowledge of the receiver just completely fades away. I loose thoughts of what they like and what they’ve mentioned in the past. Typically I end up giving them a gift card and usually they’re content with that. Going to her birthday/Easter celebration with her entire family present with no more than a gift card may not look appropriate.

 

A few weeks ago, we were watching Pride and Prejudice and I mentioned how I was somewhat interested in reading the book. She said she also thought of reading it, so I was thinking just now of giving her the book for her birthday.

 

We come to the point in which makes me believe that gift-giving is the worst tradition I can think of (at the moment). For the most part, the gift-giving process would seem to be a terrific way of showing someone appreciation. In my past experience, and this mostly comes from experience from of gift-giving between family members, someone is almost always displeased. Two outcomes are possible. One, the person giving it can be displeased with the item, the trouble of retrieving the item, etc. Two is that the person receiving it may not enjoy the gift and has to put a face on for someone. Either way, someone is usually unhappy. In the case that both parties are appreciative of the situation, then it’s a glorious moment!

 

In the end, I’d rather just skip the whole process and spend the entire day with the person doing what they enjoy. I know I sound sort of like a jerk. I suppose we can all hope that experience helps this problem.

 

(P.S. This was written on Saturday, but I’m going to take the weekends off, when writing. I’ll maybe write posts and just hold them until the weekday.)