-No Wrapping Required

It has been almost two months since Christmas, and I still have not used all my gift cards. Although it seems like it was just last week when we were all scrambling to make last minute purchases, planning what to wear to which party and placing bows on boxes; time has taken away the holiday spirit and left winter blues in its place. Now is the time of year when the seasons are stuck in between each other, the sun comes out but multiple layers are still required to protect from the temperatures. The snow falls might have tapered off, but the grey colored skies have remained. That is one of the nice things about the holiday season; the world is full of color and sparkle. The shining lights and bright baubles seem foolish and annoying during the actual time but their glow and incandescence are sorely missed when life begins to look like a black and white talkie. I hardly even knew it was Christmas this past year. It felt like I went to bed after consuming mass amounts of turkey and stuffing and then woke up in my parents house sitting on the couch sipping coffee and opening presents. There are vague memories of studying for exams and blurred images of working retail during the holidays, but mostly it feels like it was gone and forgotten before I got a chance to remember it. That seems to be a repeating theme as you grow up; things ending before you get to enjoy them. Now with it being the end of February, and no real holiday in sight, it is hard to accept that another Christmas has come and gone. It is especially hard because I am just now figuring out the perfect gift for everyone.
Then again, maybe it does not need to be a holiday to give gifts. Who says that gift giving can only happen on days centered around trees and dropping disco balls? Or a fake holiday that involves flying babies that shoot people with arrows. Not every gift needs to be wrapped in colored paper and sealed; sometimes the greatest gift we can get is not even able to be put in a box. There are certain things in life that you can receive, that do not involve gift receipts or assembly, which will outweigh a lifetimes worth of material goods. Things like friendship, trust, reliability and love; these are gifts that can be given all year round and valued any day. Of course I am not one to oppose Best Buy gift cards, new pairs of denim and name brand cheesecake, but those will only last you so long. Except Starbucks gift cards, which are the real way to tell someone you love them. A drink with a green straw is hard to beat. But still, the finest things in life require no currency. Friendship, community and intimacy are things that we decide to give to people all the time, in hopes that it will be received well and reciprocated, without the safety of thirty day return policy. When it comes to things that are not returnable, is it really better to give then to receive?
I think we have all heard, or lived through, enough ugly Christmas sweater stories to last us a lifetime, but that can also be said of heartache and broken trust. If you get stuck with a crap sweater you can always just re-gift it or goodwill it, but that can’t be said of relationships. This is why we should all remember how important it is to have the gift of real friends and true relationships. Because no matter how perfect that new denim fits, a genuine hug will always fit better. No matter how many songs the Best Buy card gets you it is nothing compared to singing in the car with your friends. And even though an iced, venti Americano is sweet, the trust and love of someone is so much sweeter. So remember to value those you have around you and to give gifts that will be remembered long after the green straw is gone. Not all memorable gifts require wrapping.