By Morris Dean
A friend told me recently that he’s looking forward to Christmas, because he so much enjoys choosing the perfect gift to put under people’s trees – something that says “thank you” to each person in a way he or she can recognize and appreciate: giving as a way of saying thanks, or saying thanks by giving.
Such a gift doesn’t have to be expensive, although it could be.
I rarely print a photograph, sharing almost exclusively by posting on the web or sending by email attachment. But what if someone special comments that one of my photographs really “speaks” to them? I could print in on good paper and frame it, or even print it on canvas:
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| My photo of a Magnolia blossom printed on canvas by Costco |
Or take the simple monkey figures in the inset photo (they're about five inches tall, with loops apparently intended for using them as tree ornaments). My wife and I spotted these in a gift shop and both thought the same thing: give one each to our son and daughter. Their grandmother my mother made them monkey dolls when they were kids. Such dolls have become extremely popular, and you can even buy ones made in China nowguess what?. But how many kids had a monkey doll made by a grandparent? Giving and receiving such a gift reminds both the giver and the receiver of the beloved who is no longer with us.
The friend who’s looking forward to Christmas told me of one gift he gave, to a close friend who had recently lost her mother. He had known this friend and her family for years, and he had an album of photographs of them. He selected some of the photos and had them printed onto fabric and made into a quilt. This gift wasn’t as inexpensive as a meaningful gift might be, but its meaning was striking.
“She treasures this quilt as her special possession. She won’t let anyone else sleep under it.”
My friend’s eyes glowed with the memory of this act of gift-giving – so brightly that I was struck by the idea of such particular choosing of gifts that the choice of each becomes a sacrament of consideration, a ritual of connection and thanksgiving.
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Guess what? Maybe Chinese monkey dolls are about all you can buy. My wife and I couldn't tell where Jill's monkey ornaments were made, but we continued to wonder, so I asked my daughter to examine hers closely. "Had to strip him to find it. Yep, China." I had asked Jill first, but she hadn't done this so didn't know. Now I told her. "Well that's always a disappointment for me, to discover that something is made in China. I hope it doesn't tarnish the gift too much – they are quite cute...."
| Copyright © 2014 by Morris Dean |
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