The Challenge of Gift Giving
Hi everyone! Welcome back on this fine Saturday. Thank you for understanding and coming back to read today!
I am in the holiday spirit this week. With Thanksgiving next week and Christmas just over a month away, I have started to plan out the gifts I will give to each person in my life. I pride myself in my gift giving, and I am very creative in what I give. I never have a hard time finding and picking out things for my friends and family except for one person, Cate.
Cate is extremely hard to buy for because the main challenge is she really does not enjoy anything besides her tablet and being with our family. She obviously does not enjoy materialistic things like most people, so this provides me with a great challenge.
I tend to air on the more practical side for Cate. I will ask my parents what she needs and usually end up buying her clothes or scarves. I try and find something creative and sensory stimulating, like a sensory activity or a nice smelling body wash or lotion. It is very hard because the things a person would typically get their sister like makeup or a game can not be applied to Cate.
My main challenge is the thing I pride myself the most on in gift giving is my sentimental, unique gifts. I love finding special things that preserve and remind others of special moments and shared connections, but my dilemma is that how do I do this for Cate. When I make something like this for Cate, I truly am more making it for me because as far as I know, she doesn't understand the meaning behind it. So, why would or should I spend money and time on something that I do not think she will understand and enjoy? The answer is I do not know, and I struggle with this thought every year.
What I have learned the most when gift shopping for Cate is practicality and pictures are key. She obviously knows who I am, so a picture can be the sentimental gift for Cate. There is nothing wrong with useful gifts because they will help both Cate and my parents.
I am so excited for Christmas this year and a sneak peak on my gifts for Cate are body wash, a sensory engaging activity, and some simple clothes. She is very hard to buy for, but I am always up for a challenge. Simpler does not mean any less meaningful.
I hope you have a great rest of your weekend and week ahead. Thanks for reading.
-Alex