The Red Wrapper

Planning a gift for someone is a divine feeling when you put your heart and soul into it. First off, you delve into the memories stored in your mind, trying to find that one special thing that the person you wish to gift desires. You wonder if you can link their desires (often not tangible, expensive products) to the product you have in mind

.

Once you have decided what to buy/make and gift, you find out how much the gift might cost you. If you do not have the luxury of an unlimited budget, you try and twist your ways into finding the perfect gift underlying the concept that might appeal to the one who is being gifted. That probably rubs off the romance of presenting a gift, but don’t stop now, go ahead and plan something else that fits your budget (I really do hate money being a constraint to happiness).

Then, when that mind-boggling argument with yourself and your budget is over, you go buy that perfect piece. Or for the more creative ones among us, maybe they create something (I adore handicrafts!).

Then comes the packaging, the shiny red wrapper that you cover your gift with: the shiner this one, the better.  Then you finish it off with a little personalized touch, maybe a sweet message written on a card which you paste on the cover. Voila! You have the perfect gift.

But you are not done yet. The way you present it matters. You’d want to make it a surprise! You come feigning you don’t even remember the special occasion. You begin a conversation, and secretly enjoy the thrill of the other person guessing whether or not you have brought something special. And then, maybe when everything’s done and you are about to leave, you take out the magic wand from your satchel, and place the gift into the person’s hand. And there! Capture the wonder in that person’s eyes in your mind’s eye. For this is the moment you have been waiting for. Savor each moment till the person finally unwraps the gift, removing the last remnant of the cello-tape you had so carefully pasted, watch minutely how the expressions in the face of the person opposite to you changes with each passing second. Observe him/her carefully till a smile lights up his/her eyes, and his/her arms reach out to give you a big hug (I really hope the person being gifted has a generous heart to accept the gift happily, even if it’s inexpensive). And then you can go on telling stories about how you came to thinking about this particular gift, and what memory makes it special. Trust me, this after-talk often goes a long way in making the whole idea of gifting something beautiful.

From the experience of planning and presenting gift so far, I really enjoy the planning phase of the gift. Earlier, I used to shrink within at the idea of gifting, being always insecure that what I was about to gift might not be up to the desires to the person I am presenting it to (As you can imagine, my budget was always a constraint. It still is!). But then after giving out a few things in gifts, and being received very well by the people I gifted these things to, I really enjoy the concept of gifting people now. And since I can’t play around with the budget much, I make sure I record a particular moment/memory through the gift (like say a friend pointed something at me and said how beautiful it was maybe eight months back, and I decide to buy that thing for him/her). And I always remember to explain why I chose that gift. It makes my story complete. It gives me a sense of fulfillment.  Being able to give is a pleasure only those who have given know.

Lastly, a word to those lucky ones who are being gifted: Please appreciate whatever little gift you receive with a smile. Maybe it’s not as expensive or as big as you might have liked it to, but for once, please put on your best acting masks and give out the best smile and hug that you can. It will quench a thirsty soul, and make someone’s day nice and God will bless you with a better life. Sometimes, a little acting isn’t that bad. What do you think?