Gift Giving
Practice
Give in a way that allows you to gift your time
Notice what those around you enjoy, and keep a list
Made gifts are meaningful as they require an investment of time
“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving”
Giving gifts is a practice rooted in the Christian Scriptures and spans cultural traditions. Gift-giving was a practice in ancient Rome around the winter solstice. The celebration of the incarnation was established on December 25 in 336 AD, connecting the Biblical story of the gifts of the magi with an ancient tradition of giving. Later in the 4th century, a Christian bishop named Nikolaos of Myra would become Saint Nicholas, known for distributing gifts to the poor. The practice of giving gifts at Christmas has threaded through centuries and civilizations. Giving gifts is a practice that expresses gratitude, creativity, and generosity.
“What makes a good gift?” I asked Ashley Banister in a conversation about gift giving. Her reply, “Give something that allows you to spend time together.” Ashley is a phenomenal gift-giver. She shared how her own practice began by observing her mother, who was intentional in giving gifts at Christmas. “There was always a lot of thought given first.” The gift Ashley most often gives is the invitation to a shared experience. That practice of gift-giving was observed by her daughter, Beatrice. Her daughter’s gift to a friend who enjoys art was to take her to the Denver Art Museum. Of all presents, presence may be the gift most deeply appreciated.
In our conversation, Ashley vulnerably shared about the guilt of forgetting someone, or not having the capacity to give in a certain season. Acknowledging how difficult gift-giving can be is important. Obligation in gift-giving never results in gratitude or cultivates generosity.
Gift giving is a practice of communicating through physical acts and tangible artifacts a deep love and care for another. Jesus’s story of the woman who gave not out of opulence, but out of sacrifice, is an important reminder as we practice gift giving—it is often the simplest gifts, given with the greatest amount of love, that are the most meaningful. Gift giving is formational to the one who receives and to the one who gives.
Thank you to Ashley Banister for her contribution to this article.
