Giving

It's twenty days into December and five more sleeps until Christmas day; the festive season has come upon us. It is swallowing me up whole, and it's swallowing my bank account too. I was going to write something super deep and meaningful about giving, but I couldn't bring myself to write anything better than what I wrote two years ago on my old blog (back when I was a measly seventeen year old, straight outta high compton high school). I hope it gives you a better understanding of why giving is something I always want to do every Christmas.

"At this time of year, why do we give? Is it just for the sake of Christmas and New Years? Is it because we want to give something special to the ones we love? Maybe it's because we're human and we're designed to have that desire to give. Or perhaps it's about balance. We are given so much throughout our lives; family, friends, a home, clothes, a job -- more than we need. So it may just be a way of showing our appreciation.

For me, giving is a way to say I care and I actually do love you, although I don't really show it. Over the past year or so, it's been kind of hard for me to buy presents for those close to me, because I didn't have a job and was quite tight in terms of spending. But now that I have a job, I'm very excited to buy and make presents for those closest to me - those I love the most.

Giving, to me, is something that I never regret. The only time I regret giving something to someone is when I think I haven't given enough. But the smile on their face when they open their presents and they like it... that's priceless. That's when I realised: the price tag of the present needn't matter at all. It is the heart with which you have given that really counts.

So remember one thing today: give because you love, and give with a big heart of love."

N.B.: for me, this type of giving should be done without expecting anything in return.

Merry Christmas,

ex oh,

ANNEKE