Gift to Self, 2009

My Happy New Year GTS has arrived. Some years ago, two of my most professional shopper friends, B and B, asked me what my Gift to Self was as my birthday was approaching. I looked at them bewildered to which they answered 'for every occasion, you should treat yourself to a gift'. I am sure it is not a novel idea for a lot of people, but for me it opened a whole new way of being kind to self. I have since become a firm believer in 'kindness begins internally', and with the GTS at least on birthdays and new years. So in the years since, I have given myself a range of gifts from an apartment to a personal trainer to a dog. I must say though that I am not self-indulgent and I rarely buy anything, so the GTS is usually something quite special.

So I commissioned an oil painting of my father's portrait. I asked HP to do it. And am thrilled thrilled thrilled.

Gifts, Tangible and Intangible

I got the Rauschenberg! As I got a Sugimoto. Two thick retrospective monographs of two artists I love love love. R got the Rauschenberg from the SLab Shop and put it in my Christmas stocking. Lesson learned: if you ask for something often enough, you will get it.

Who doesn't love perfect gifts? This year, as recipient, tops has to be for the hand tooled leather suitcase that P gave, in blue with green straps. Its got 'SLAB' on its side. To say that I love it is an understatement. It's one of those objects that you probably won't use for its original purpose but want for want's sake-- to look at, to fill, to empty, to open. Thank you P!



Also got an LED flashlight, cut glass candle holders, fresh pasta, and a variety of Muji items. A good year.



There are of course intangible gifts that are neither material or measurable. A few that come to mind in the last few days include the Christmas party of BV's company of 40 strong women and their families (Tita P really pulled out all the stops setting up the garden as theme park with all the games, song and dance, and lechon baka); next, ten-year old nephew M's narrative with full cartoon 'Kapow' 'Pandemonium' 'Kabang' expressions of the other grandkids not listening to grandmother; and most memorably, R's 86 year old grandmother beautifully playing Franz Liszt's Un Sospiro on the piano as her gift to us for Christmas, her shakes all disappeared and beautiful music music music filled the house.

Christmas Gifts

My policy on gift giving is to gift what the person wants but would never buy for him or herself. It need not be expensive nor difficult to find, but it should make the person feel special, be lots of fun, or make life easier in some way. For example, one year my sister gave my mother an E-pass to zip through the tolls on the hi-way, makes life easier; and made more meaningful since my mother thinks that an E-pass is a luxury, so it made her feel special. She is of the war generation.

Living in the PH, there are many whose simple needs are not met. Friend C introduced us to the Sisters of Charity in Antipolo who take in orphans and abandoned children. She was to host a Christmas party for them, and the Mother Teresa nuns asked, as gifts, for shorts for the little boys and slippers for the toddlers. Turns out that the less than 2 year olds would stare longingly at the playground but were not allowed to play as they had no slippers, and the cement would cut their tiny feet.

So shorts and slippers we sent, and they were very happily received.





Merry Christmas! May you find a quiet patch of peace this coming year.