On Gift Giving (and Receiving)
In this wintery season, I wanted to take the time to write about gift giving. It can be hard to take the time (and the money!) to truly dedicate to picking out the "right" gift for every single person in your life. So give yourself grace!
Someone recently mentioned to me that she gifts things that she's "vetted." These are items that she's used in the last year that she's found to be really useful or that have contributed to her quality of life. Examples of these have been a really, really good serrated knife or an extremely comfy pair of sweatpants (please sponsor me, Vuori). I love this advice from her and am trying to think about what items I've vetted that I would recommend or buy for others going forward.
Personally I enjoy purchasing local Kansas City items, like candles from Effing Candle Co or soaps from Zum, for others. Local experiences, like a gift certificate to Starlight Theatre or a voucher for a cooking class or a ceramics class, could be so fun!
I wanted to leave you, dear reader, with a quote from Marie Kondo. It's one that I am still trying to incorporate into my own life - both as a gift giver and a recipient!
“Most of these gifts remain unopened or have been used only once. Admit it. They simply don’t suit your taste. The true purpose of a present is to be received. Presents are not “things” but a means for conveying someone’s feelings. When viewed from this perspective, you don’t need to feel guilty for parting with a gift. Just thank it for the joy it gave you when you first received it. Of course, it would be ideal if you could use it with joy. But surely the person who gave it to you doesn’t want you to use it out of a sense of obligation, or to put it away without using it, only to feel guilty every time you see it. When you discard or donate it, you do so for the sake of the giver, too.”
For fun, here’s a little video I made about what I gave Momo for Christmas.