Giving the Perfect Gift
- itcametopass
- Dec 3, 2018
- 3 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2018
How do you choose the perfect gift for someone?
What makes a a gift perfect?
Recently, my parents asked me, “Amy, what do you want for Christmas?” a common question for this time of year that would have, in former days of my childhood, ignited enthusiasm with all the possibilities of presents.
Little Girl Amy: What do I want? What don’t I want!?
Grown-up Amy: Um… a rice cooker… maybe? well I don’t need a rice cooker… I can cook rice on the stove… I don’t know what I need…
With December upon us and Christmas approaching I have been thinking quite a bit about gifts: finding the right gifts for people and trying to think of gift ideas for myself. Then, yesterday (Saturday December 1 as I write this), as I was helping my mom put up Christmas decorations----- it came to me.
It’s kind of an unspoken understanding with my mom that I go put up the Christmas village in the bay window. This year I told her that I would come over and not only put up the village but that I was going to take every.
single.
Christmas item we own out from under the crawl space and she and I were going to go through them and decide what to keep and what we could get rid of. If we weren’t going to put it out, why were we going to keep it?
(*side note* I read a book recently that sparked all of this called The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up… you may have heard of it… in the book she mentions that if an item doesn’t bring you joy then don’t keep it… I started the process by taking every single item of clothing I owned and putting them all on my bed/floor and going through them one at a time… it was helpful… but I digress… a similar concept may be found in Doctrine and Covenants 109:8 "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God...")
After hauling up all the boxes and plastic bins from the crawl space (and sweating more than I expected I might add), the process started. My mom and I strolled down memory lane, stopping to glance through windows of her life and mine. As we pulled out Christmas decorations old and new we talked about her favorite Christmas songs and memories of Christmases past. We spent about 7 hours together, the majority of my Saturday, and I realized how to give the perfect gift.
The perfect gift may not come from a list for Santa (see picture above). It may not even come from the store or one of your many Pinterest boards. For me, the perfect gift to give was to spend an entire Saturday with my mom reminiscing, talking and getting rid of excess stuff. In turn, I received the perfect gift, the one I couldn't come up with to tell my parents... time. love. laughter. memories. service. Consider giving some of these gifts spoken of by Marvin J. Ashton.
"The gift of asking; the gift of listening; the gift of hearing and using a still, small voice; the gift of being able to weep; the gift of avoiding contention; the gift of being agreeable; the gift of avoiding vain repetition; the gift of seeking that which is righteous; the gift of not passing judgment; the gift of looking to God for guidance; the gift of being a disciple; the gift of caring for others; the gift of being able to ponder; the gift of offering prayer; the gift of bearing a mighty testimony; and the gift of receiving the Holy Ghost. We must remember that to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. It is our right and responsibility to accept our gifts and to share them. God’s gifts and powers are available to all of us."
As you go about giving gifts this year, help humanity to Light the World as you remember the ultimate Gift. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
-Amy
Week 1: Give As Jesus Gave
Week 2: Light Your Community
Week 3: Light Your Family
Week 4: Light Your Faith
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