The Art of Gifting

Bangalore is very pleasant around this time of the year. I always ensure a window seat on one of the left-row seats of the bus during the morning travel to the office. During that time of the day between 8 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. the nip in the air that is there during the wee hours of the morning is gone but the breeze is still pleasantly cool and the sun is still under a thermostat control The coolness of the breeze and the warm massage of the sun embraces the body and the soul caressing softly, for a heavenly experience. Gifts of nature are unique and always treasured.


Talking about gifts, one of the greatest story about the art of gifting is "The Gift of the Magi". It is a short story written by O. Henry, about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. Young married couple Della and James "Jim" Dillingham Young are very much in love with each other but can barely afford their one-room apartment due to Jim's recent pay cut. For Christmas, Della decides to buy Jim a chain for his prized pocket watch given to him by his father's father. To raise the funds, she has her long, beautiful hair cut off and sold to make a wig. Meanwhile, Jim decides to sell his watch to buy Della a beautiful set of combs made out of tortoiseshell and jewels for her lovely, knee-length brown hair. Each is surprised to find the gift they chose rendered useless, yet each is pleased with the gift that they received, because it represents their love for one another.

My experiences with the gifts that I have received have been not always been good. As a child some of my birthday gifts from guests have turned-out to be stainless steel jugs/plates/spoons, antique candle-stands, saucers to eat porridge, bone-china mugs (that my mother never let me use them as a child since she thought I would break them)etc. Not that I expected them, but they failed to thrill me as well. In hindsight, perhaps my guests could have been a bit more imaginative about a child’s world, his likes and dislikes. I am sure that all of us keep receiving gifts that we do not know what to do with and hence either pass it to someone or redirect them to those whom we think might have better use.

The value of a gift is measured not always by the material cost, instead many times by the intention with which they are given. The gifts of nature as well ‘the gift of Magi’ were prized despite they having less material value or direct utility.

Organizations need to understand the art of gifting (rewards, awards & recognitions) is not always in heavy monetary off-loads, rather in giving something to the employees that they truly treasure, with the best intentions that hovers around benefiting or recognizing an employee for what he/she truly deserves. In the same breath, let me add that I am not at all suggesting that gifts should always have lesser monetary value. Gifts require good intention and a bit of imagination to make them valued and treasured by the recipient.

Meanwhile, I am once again looking forward to tomorrow morning’s sunshine and the breeze mocktail (not cocktail since I am teetotaler) treat…Hope it doen't rain!