Who doesn't like a gift given with love and affection once in a while :)? I certainly do :)!
But like everything else, giving and receiving gifts is beautiful only if the giver and receiver have the right mindset!
First things first:
I think the first, foremost and most important gift we can give to the world is we ourselves. Character: Rock solid. Sincerity and truthfulness: To the brim. Love: Our hearts and beings overflowing with it. Then our presence itself becomes a gift. And wherever a need is sensed for something material or some time and effort, the giving happens naturally. In fact it doesn't even feel like giving. It's just a sharing that happens naturally as it's in love's nature to share.
Then:
With the above firmly in place, one can also give material gifts to others to bring them happiness : the focus staying clearly on the joy we bring to someone else through the gift, never what we might get in return (the concept and expectation of return gifts, for example, is something to be outright laughed and scoffed at as far as I am concerned :)) or the impression we might make with how expensive our gifts are :). The focus simply needs to be on giving a gift that we feel is nice and would bring the other happiness. That's all :).
Likewise for the receiver: Focus on the affection with which a gift is being given, not on how expensive the gift is! And receive the gift with grace, with gratitude, with joy. I'm pretty sure every culture has traditions that underline this spirit. In this part of the world for example, the tradition was to bow and touch a gift being received to one's forehead to express reverence for the gift, the act of giving and the giver.
And sometimes all one can give us is a heartfelt smile with a blessings and prayers. Understand that this is also the most precious gift anyone can ever give you! Anyone comes to with such a gift: Give them a bear hug right away and lift them off the ground :)!
If this post affected the way you gave or received gifts when the next festival or birthday comes around, do leave a comment!
So long then :)!
