LifeDev

When little kids hear the word “Christmas”, one of the automatic word associations is “gifts”. Sure, you’ve got “Frosty” and “Rudolph” and “Santa”, but those are just afterthoughts. The core of Christmas is GIFTS. Yet they’re never associated with giving.

We all know how it works. You ask Santa for what you want, and hope you get it. Sometimes the jolly man delivers, and sometimes it’s “maybe next year, honey”. A lot of disappointment hinges on whether you pull in the loot you so carefully outlined in your 53-page report addressed to the North Pole. Sure you’ll willing to overlook some of the smaller items, just so long as you get that Red Ryder BB Gun, right Ralphie? There’s a lot of pressure to being a kid around Christmas.

So what happens when you don’t get that thing you really wanted? Every other present doesn’t really matter. The ham loses it’s flavor, even Grandma’s pie doesn’t taste as sweet as it usually does. Christmas is ruined. It’s tough being a kid.

I wonder what it would be like if Santa asked “What do you want to Give this Christmas?”. By placing all of the emphasis on getting, we’re setting getters up for failure, and putting tremendous pressure on the givers. But if we shift the focus on what we’re giving, this problem goes away.

The true meaning of a gift is something that is given, as an act of thoughtfulness or love. There is no love involved in buying something off of a list. That’s called grocery shopping.

I’m trying it out this year: I’m giving no hints as to what I want, and I’m talking freely about what I want to give. What do you want to give this Christmas? ;)

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