Christmas is not always a gift!

The tradition of giving Christmas gifts to those around us is one of generosity and love. Although they are often a pleasure to give as much as to receive, gifts can also generate a whole range of emotions, in addition to saying a lot not only about our relationships… but also about ourselves!

If the gift can be a source of pleasure, it can also cause its share of stress and worries, especially financial. Between the limited budget, the lack of time to shop and our sometimes limited knowledge of the people who will receive them (a work colleague, for example), the search for what we will offer can be laborious.

Beyond its financial value, its aesthetic or practical aspect, the choice of the gift – just like the reaction it will generate – will be first influenced by our ability to put ourselves in the place of the other, to take an interest in his tastes, his needs. 

In addition to providing pleasure to its recipient, the gift chosen with care and responding to their desires will reveal how well we understand and know them, further enhancing the happiness experienced on both sides.  

The gift as a reflection of the relationship

Whatever its cost, a gift is never a neutral thing. Symbol of the bond that unites us to the person to whom we offer it, it says a lot about our level of complicity, while allowing us to create or solidify an emotional or social bond. 

The gift can also translate what one feels, openly or not, for the other. Given to a friend to whom we are particularly close, it can allow us to express all our appreciation and gratitude. 

In a romantic relationship about to hatch, the gift can become a gesture of great vulnerability, reflecting our feelings. 

For some people, the gift can help translate what they find difficult to express into words. 

In a relationship deemed unsatisfactory, the feeling of lack or frustration could come, voluntary or involuntary, color the choice of what will be offered. 

Similarly, the guilt felt towards the other for all sorts of reasons could lead to wanting to ” ;redeem» by offering him a gift of disproportionate value!

Who is the gift really for?

Seemingly banal, the gesture of giving a gift often includes a “third” dimension, i.e. the role that the person occupies in our life: parent, boss, ex-lover, teacher, friend who we feel is moving away, etc. The question may then arise: to whom is the gift really addressed? Does this gift convey a message? 

Within a couple, for example, offering a gift that corresponds above all to one's own desires risks disappointing, or even causing pain! Especially if this awkwardness is not an accidental exception in the relationship! 

A gift that is much too big or too expensive, aimed at showing off the gallery, could cause discomfort, even guilt for the person receiving it. Sometimes a big gift can convey a feeling of “not being enough”. in oneself to deserve the love or affection of another. 

The gift we offer can also testify to our experience, echoing what we did not receive or would have liked to receive, or even what we missed when we were children. < /p>

Being present to each other 

By putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect gift, you can feel stress, anxiety, even a feeling of not being up to par if the present offered misses the target! 

You should not lose sight of the fact that beyond the gifts you offer, what is experienced and expresses itself in a relationship plays out much more during the other 364 days of the year! 

The gift is not an end in itself: it is more symbolic of the relationship than the we have with the other, and this one certainly does not pass only by the gift!

This column will take a break for a few weeks. Looking forward to seeing you again in February, and until then, I wish you a very happy holiday season!