This is a time of year when there is a lot of opportunities for gift giving and receiving. Unfortunately these same heartfelt moments can also be accompanied by worries of giving the "right" gift, getting enough gifts for the people you know and love; as well as the worry of not giving a gift or an "equal"gift to someone who gave you something. Given the economy, people are in different financial situations, and may be experiencing these concerns more this year than 5-10 years ago.
Gift giving is supposed to warm the heart, both yours and the person you are giving to. Adding anxiety about the type of gift takes away the enjoyment one feels when thinking of others. If you find yourself in this category, remember that the person will feel good for just being thought of by you, no matter how big or small, expensive or thrifty the gift is.
What if I receive a gift from someone that is more than the one I bought for them, or what if I didn't get him/her anything but a christmas card?
If you find yourself asking this question, you might be "keeping score". Let me ask you this:
Do you keep track of the gifts you receive and compare it to a list of people you gave gifts to?
Do you give with the expectation to receive?
My guess is that you most likely are giving from your heart. You saw something that reminded you of the person and you gave it to them for a special occasion or just cause.
The person giving you the gift cares about you, and probably is not giving you something with the expectation of receiving something of equal value in return.
My advice, graciously accept the gift and thank the giver.
This holiday season, try to focus being thankful for the gifts you have received, be gracious to the giver, and try to stop the worrying.
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