It always feels good around this time of the year, when a lot of people are taking leave and the trains are not as crowded. It is especially a joyous occasion when Christmas falls right after the weekend and we get a longer weekend to rest from our daily struggles.
Save for loved ones and family, I have not really been the giving kind of person. Exchanging of presents and such has not really been my thing. Heck I seldom buy stuff for myself, save for a couple of computer games once in a while. I suppose a couple of reasons contributed to this – (1) I really do not enjoy shopping, especially with the huge crowd at the malls. Somehow it always makes my blood boil, turn me into grouchy old man in a hurry to get out. It could be the people always getting into my way, or it could be the ugly side of Singaporeans that really irks me. I haven’t gotten a hang of it after all these years. (2) I usually have something in mind when I do shop, so that I will be very focussed on getting what I want. Saves time, saves effort. Window shopping is hardly entertainment for me. (3) I really have not a clue what to buy for other people. Personally I like to receive practical stuff that I can use, and I try not to give useless stuff to other people (unless of course I got them from someone else and don’t have anything better to do with it). Thus, going to shop at the mall for gifts without knowing what I want will usually turn me into a sweaty mad monster.
This year, since it’s the first year that I’m spending Christmas with my wife after our marriage, I felt pressured to go get something for her. But I just didn’t know what to get, and I knew she will be giving me something. Well, I was rather relieved when she gave me a way out that I pay for her next visit to the hairdresser as a Christmas gift. I grabbed the chance of course. Ok, I admit it, I must be the least romantic and lazy bum in the whole universe, but at least I saved myself from an otherwise torrid experience at the mall.
Thus it was to be, that Felicia gave me what I had been hunting around for a while – a new nVidia 7300GT graphics card to replace my old card on my desktop, plus a couple of shirts, 2 ties and a pair of bermudas.
It happened by chance this afternoon when one of her friends called her and they briefly mentioned about going out for coffee. So Felicia happily told them to come over to our place for coffee instead, just to chit chat and meet up. I invited my old buddy Fabian over, since I had a hunch he had nothing better to do. Our friends arrived late afternoon. We had a fun time talking, relaxing and later watching a DVD, “Seven Swords”. Felicia invited them to stay for dinner, where she cooked up a little storm of pasta, “Coca Cola Chicken”, salad and edamame (those evil furry Japanese beans that I used to chew on). I think (hope) everyone had a great time tonight.
Christmas is a time for giving, and it’s also a time that reminds me what I love about my wife. I seldom say this, but God Bless…
December 26th, 2006 at 2:35 pm
Sounds like you and your wife had a great time during this festive period. That is great. Love is indeed divine; it’s God’s blessing; though you can’t see it but you certainly know that it is somewhere out there.
I am not good at buying gift to people too. I have those thinking as yours (hate shopping and so on). But then I met my guitarist’s girlfriend and she just loves buying gifts for people. To her, it is that look in the receipient’s face that makes her happy. She shared with me that to buy gifts for people, it is not to buy what they “need” but what they “want”. Buying what people need is easy. In fact, they usually can buy those stuffs themselves. It is buying those stuffs that they have been putting off buying that is the difficult part. In order to do that, you really have to know that someone else.
So, now that when I look at gift buying … it is not really about shopping. It is about knowing that someone well enough to indeed know what he or she wants. At times, not easy as it is so much easier to just living our own lives as it is. The comfort zone
Alright … God bless to you and your family too.
December 26th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Well said. Getting what people want also requires a limit on your own budget, which probably makes the balance tougher. Something to chew on I suppose…
December 27th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Ya … of course budget is one big constraint. I guess the art is to buy stuffs that the person puts it off because he or she (1) may see the item as overprice (it is relative, not necessarily means expensive … he could think that a branded pen is a waste of money though he always wanted it as he is using the disposable ones right now) or (2) may see no need as still have an old one (take wallet as example, men love to use it till worn and torn but deep inside, some of us would be delighted if there is a new replacement).
I have seen a gift of a small price created a hugh magical effect. That is that … bingo look … that my guitarist’s girlfriend was talking about.
PS. When I saw extra response, I thought your wife must have put down some comments … lol … that would have been interesting! Like: Honey, where are the Christmas gift!