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The Glory of Gifts
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10361 |
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Section : |
Life
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| Issue
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12 / 1986 |
2,371 Words |
| Author
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Jeanne Viner Bell
Jeanne Viner Bell is president of the American Newswomen's
Foundation. |
The reasons for gift giving are exceeded only by the emotions that it can evoke.
Gifts can express congratulations, admiration, appreciation, encouragement, apologies, sympathy, friendship, and love. Finding exactly the right gift can be a gratifying experience. It can also be time consuming, frustrating, and very expensive. Gifts should gladden the hearts of the donor and the recipient. Sometimes they do. Too often, however, gifts are a strain and drain for the giver and only casually accepted by the recipient. But, with a little luck and a lot of foresight, it needn't be that way.
For many of us, gift giving is dictated by the calendar. The year starts off slowly, and only the romantically inclined consider February 14 the occasion for a Valentine gift. The next mandate is in April--Easter. If one is adept at dyeing eggs, it's rather fun. Then comes May with Mother's Day, which seems designed to delight merchants and mothers throughout the land. Father's Day follows in June, and men's accessory manufacturers are gleeful as fathers struggle to express enthusiasm over articles of clothing that they might secretly vote least likely to succeed in any wardrobe.
August, September, October, and November are the lull before the storm that is Christmas.
Christmas could be fun--a chance to delight children with the toy of their heart's desire and to buy just the right gifts for family and friends. But it never seems to stop there. Bosses are expected to present gifts to employees, and customers are expected to express their gratitude to the purveyors who accept their money throughout the year.
So much for the calendar. But people get married in all seasons, and babies are born on the same schedule. The to-buy list includes birthday, anniversary, and graduation gifts. Presents to hostesses and others for whom tokens of appreciation are appropriate can be given on a moment's notice, as are expressions of concern to friends who are ill, and there are occasions in many religions that also suggest remembrance.
Then, there are business gifts, which are in a category unto themselves. They're big business. Major corporations budget many thousands of dollars every year for preferred customers, key suppliers, boards of directors, and others who could further their corporate
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