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business newsOh, Mother! Gifts From the Heart
By
Laurie Petersen Dec 12, 2008 8:30 am
The best presents are the priceless ones.
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Regifting gets a bad rap, but used gifts often carry more meaning than any shiny new thing.
My daughter shared from the heart very early on - with absolutely no prompting. She insisted on giving as presents her favorite outgrown book or doll or stuffed comfort toy. The idea was simple: She wanted to pass on to another little child what gave her so much pleasure.
It’s a tradition she continues to this day.
This year in particular is one when your family might adopt the same strategy. Gifts that cost nothing can mean everything.
One of my daughter's most treasured gifts came second hand: A cameo ring that belonged to the great grandmother whose name became her middle name. Much of the cameo was worn away with the century, but the heirloom is one she never tires of taking from its box and admiring. (The ring is still too big to fit on her finger.)
Another of my child’s most precious mementos is the stash of hand-written letters she has from her dad. He doesn’t live with her, but talks to her daily. It’s his tradition to write her a letter on key holidays and every birthday. She in turn likes to write poems accompanied by detailed illustrations.
These gifts are special and cost nothing but time and imagination.
One way my former husband wooed me was through the written word. I still have a wicker basket in my shed somewhere filled with our transatlantic correspondence. He also liked to send me cassettes of music he compiled. Seems so quaint, doesn’t it?
This year I expect to give a lot of reading material. I still subscribe to a handful of print magazines and most renewal offers from desperate publishers are throwing in the incentive of a free gift subscription to the person of your choice. (Not everyone carries a Blackberry into the bathroom.)
I also enjoy sharing my favorite books with people I care about and will turn to my large personal library for many gifts this year. For some reason, I’ve always taken more pleasure in books I receive that I know the giver has already read. It’s like a meeting of the minds.
Share your ideas for gift-giving on The Exchange.
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