The Gifts

Chanced upon this blog which talked about American teens complaining about not getting cars or iPhones for Christmas! Goodness gracious, I thought!  My daughter, was aghast at how materialistic these kids were and how ungrateful they were for the gifts they had received. Has American consumerism reached its all time high? Has accessibility to all the worldly goods warped the values of their youth? Has love become equated with a parent's ability to give the latest in expensive technology to their children?


Through the years, I think the best gifts I have received are those which did not come in bright, shiny packages. By most standards, they would never be considered valuable at all.


One gift was from this small, tough-looking lady who used to sit in a certain pew in church. In her mind, this pew was reserved for her and woe to those who would make the mistake of occupying her seat before she came. She was a source of amusement to those of us who were church regulars. We heard that she was an intelligent person who was gainfully employed until had met some unfortunate circumstances. This was what had led her to behave the way she did. So we always managed to keep a respectable distance from her lest we risk her ire. One day  she suddenly thrust into my hand a small item. When I looked at what it was, I found a small, plastic coin purse.  It had a pink floral pattern on a white background. And it had a mint green zipper.  To this day, I can still see it in my mind because it was my favorite color combination. After that, I would acknowledge her presence with a smile even if we never exchanged a sentence. One time after one mass during the Christmas season, she gave me without a word, a handkerchief which contained something soft. When I unfolded it, there was a small "bibingka" (rice cake) which must have come from the stalls selling early morning fare after Simbang gabi. It was without a doubt one of the most delicious things I tasted that season! I don't what I did (or didn't do) to have deserved those two gifts but they helped me see generosity and goodness in a most unexpected way.

Another precious gift was one that my ageing father gave me on my birthday. He was not one to go out of his way to get gifts for us, not even my mother. In fact, I don't remember him ever bring a wrapped package for anyone's birthday or special occasion. But on this particular day, he was beaming with pride when he presented me with a gift that he had asked someone to buy for him. When I opened the small bag, there were two rolls of Menthos candy. He said he knew it was a favorite in my youth and that I would enjoy eating them now. He was so right! Only then did I realize that underneath that seemingy uncaring exterior was a man who remembered how to make his loved ones smile and feel warm all over.


From these experiences, I have become a firm believer in the saying "It's the thought that counts!" I have learned not to look at the cost of a gift as a gauge of how much one means to the person giving the gift. When you see how one's heart is given with the gift, it is so much easier to give one's heart back in return.