THE SPECIAL GIFT
  

What is the truly special gift? It's a gift that carries with it multifold meanings... that has been selected (perhaps created) with the receiver, and the receiver's good, in mind. 

The giver of the special gift is also blessed with a part of it:  the satisfying of his desire to share with someone, the prospect of the gift's conveying something that speaks of her relationship with the recipient as well as giving the other delight.

The urge to share is a universal human inclination. (You could say that generosity is the flip side of gratitude - which is also an instinctive pull.) We all have a need to share in order to feel complete - and when we open ourselves to others' needs, what we give is sincerely prized. When we give - whether it be a present given to another, or a sharing of ourselves through a service or when participating in a communal gathering - we celebrate the linking of one to another... and the giving is the getting.

Most of us particularly focus on sharing at the time of the end-of-the-year holidays. I call this "the sharing season"... though it's also certainly a time of ambivalence for some. I've pondered on the art and practice of giving, as well as on how to bypass the commercialization, even the disappointments, of this so-magnetic season... And this website is a result. Perhaps you'll find some thoughts here that will help you in answering questions like:

• Are there other ways to celebrate the holidays, without commercialization and stress?
    
• How might one decide on what sort of giving and/or celebrating would suit particular people, in particular situations, any time of the year? (...including oneself!)
    
• And what sorts of gifts might be available - to buy, or to make (especially, frugally) - to match the categories that would fit the needs/desires/pleasures of those on your mind? (I've included a large section of about 250 recipes and instructions for easy-to-make gifts and decorations among those mentioned in the pages to follow.)

In back of the celebrations and the presents, we might say, are the "extras" of the settings and the gifts. Pretty wrapping paper and bows aren't needed to express love (in a way, the intent of the giver and the message inherent in the gift is an invisible but palpable wrapper!)... but the extra layers of a gift can add delightfully to the whole (especially when they're not quite the usual style). Likewise, home and party decorations aren't necessary for fulfillment - but they can enhance our enjoyment of the holidays and of each other and, like the wrapping of a gift, work synergistically into the memory of gratification that we might be reaching for. 

• ...So we'll look at the extras of giving and celebrating as well.

See the table of contents below...  Start at the beginning, if you have the time to ruminate a bit with me. If you're headed in a specific direction (gift-wrapping ideas, say), you'll be able to cut to the chase. If you're just looking for gift ideas, you can skip to Categories of Gifts, for Idea-Generation - but I'd like to point out that there are lots of other gift ideas in the section called Principles for Gift-Giving as well. (Plus there are lists of the recipes and instructions one could peruse - see Section III.)

Have fun in your "adventure of the special gift"!...
    

CONTENTS

ABOUT/CONTACT
PRIVACY