Everything you know about gifts might be wrong

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One of the highlights of Yuletide is the giving and receiving of gifts. In the just-concluded season, I had a fair share of both. I gave my bit to people, and I was privileged to be the beneficiary of some people's acts of generosity.

There were folks who thought that their gifts were of little value to me, so they had to plead with me to accept them in good faith regardless, saying that that's all they could afford at the time. Their attitude got me emotional, and it was a bit amusing.

I'm aware that there are sects that qualify and quantify gifts based on their physical size and monetary value. If you ask me, I'd be bold to say that there's everything wrong with such a standard of evaluation.

That's because gifting transcends the substance that is being given or received; it goes further to show that the giver loves, admires, and appreciates the person he's giving to. Their kind gesture should count more than their substance.

People who only care about the quality and quantity of the substance they receive aren't appreciative. They don't care about the giver; they only consider what they are receiving.

I value gifts, irrespective of their sizes. My heart leaps for joy when I get airtime from someone, the way it would leap if I were to get a car or house gift. To me, it is not only about the substance but also about the kind gesture. I value and appreciate both.

Thinking of gifts from the perspective of substance alone has made some people selfish. They assume that they're not rich enough to give to others, when the truth is that no one is too poor to give. Everyone has something to give. It might not be substantial in your estimation, and you don't have to feed the world, but trust me, there's always something you can give and someone you can give to.

Being generous has little to do with being rich. Generosity is a condition of the heart. There could be a rich, selfish man, and there could also be a poor, generous man, and vice versa.

Giving is about sharing what you have with others. Don't be deceived; a person who can't share the little he has wouldn't be able to share even when he's swimming in rivers of wealth.

Also, some people only think of giving to the poor. That's also another danger of seeing gifts as a physical substance alone.

We give primarily to meet the needs of others, but that's not all there is to giving. Love, appreciation, admiration, support, encouragement, care, etc. are expressed through gifts. While the rich might not be in need of physical things, they want to feel loved, supported, encouraged, and cared for. Our little gestures have a way of taking people out of depression; they might even push them to do more for humanity.

The rich shouldn't also be too proud to receive gifts. Even if you're not in need of the items, receiving them makes the giver happy; you can receive them and donate them to charity.

In this new year, let's desist from only receiving and not giving, or from giving and not receiving.

You have to love and be loved; care for and be cared for.

Both sides of the divide have tremendous benefits.

Happy New Year to everyone!

I'm grateful to everyone whose kindnesses I was a beneficiary of in the past year on this platform. On top of the list are @dreemsteem, @samsmith1971, and @edystringz in no particular order.