Don't Forget The Real Meaning Behind Gift Giving

Remember, gift giving says something to someone.

Christmas is just about upon us now and the time for looking for gifts, at least online, is past. If you still need some it's offline shopping time.

But sometimes I think we get all too caught up with the whole Christmas gift giving thing, to the point where we lose sight of the meaning. It all becomes a little too acquisative, too materialistic, too much. Particularly with children.

I know, I have children.

And I think sometimes when we get caught up with it all we need to take a step back and ask ourselves why we are doing this, why are we giving gifts.

Now of course there's lots of reasons. Some are religious, different for different religions, and there are lots of other reasons. But personally I think that gift giving is an expression of love from you, the giver of the gift, to someone else, the receiver of the gift.

It's a way of saying I love you, you're someone special to me.

Now of course you can say that with a gift, but as I say, sometimes we get all caught up in the gift giving thing a bit, and I think the I love you bit is lost.

So don't forget to actually say it. Say it in as many ways as you can think of, often. Don't just rely on the gift you give to say I love you.

Because gift giving isn't the important bit, it's the relationship that counts. People, and our relationships, are much more important to us than anything material.

We just need to step back and remember this sometimes, and make sure they know it. Christmas isn't about gifts, it's about people.