Reasons to be Cheerful: It’s the thought that counts
Last weekend I made a dent in my Christmas shopping. With panto season looming, giving me limited time to shop, wrap and post, I had to get myself vaguely organised.
Before setting off, I came up with a criteria for my present purchasing. I decided that if I didn't know for certain what someone wanted, I would restrict myself to choosing between something to fill the tummy, something to enrich the mind or something that would do some good. Essentially, chocolate, books and charitable gifts.
On Sunday I made a start. A woman on a mission, by 12 noon, just as the shops were becoming unbearable (why in the name of Santa himself would you take your kids to a busy shopping centre on their scooters - WHY?), I was skipping home, having made a sizeable dent in my list.
On Monday I dented it a bit harder, also ordering my St Wilfrid’s Hospice Christmas cards, stocking up on stamps and chopping up last year’s cards for gift tags. Cutting concluded, and left with just a few final gifts buy, all of which I can source locally, I breathed a sigh of relief. I made a cuppa and cracked open the mince pies (Turners - highly recommended) by way of celebration.
My gifting list has been slimmed down in recent years. Together with most of my far-flung friends we have agreed that catching up over a leisurely lunch is far more satisfactory than posting bubble bath to each other. We usually set a date in January, which cheers up the month’s gloomy weather and equally depressing bank statements.
And rather than buying for every child, I also give more 'family' gifts now. Choosing something that everyone can enjoy, it does also limit the cost a bit.
But it is easy to overstretch ourselves on festive gifting, especially when shopping for children. One year when my daughter was small I had to smuggle bags into the under stairs cupboard so that my husband didn’t clock quite how many boxes of Lego and dolls house furniture had been purchased. I had to ‘fess up further down the line (when he almost ruptured himself carrying the wrapped gifts from their hiding place to under the tree), but admitting that I had succumbed to advertising and ‘parent pester’ left me shamefaced.
Gifts that are definitely wanted or genuinely useful, and those that do some good, all locally sourced where possible, feels like a good blueprint for me going forward. Better for my bank balance, it also means that I’m giving with a degree of thoughtfulness.
And it is, after all, the thought that counts.
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