It is more blessed to give than to receive – Acts 20: 35

The holidays are here. And for me, that means a frantic search for perfect presents for friends and loved ones.

My sister has me at a disadvantage in the gift-giving department. Ever since her children were born, she hands-down has me beat when it comes to what to give our parents for any occasion. Anything that includes even minimal input from the tiny hands of her two tykes is sure to make them swoon.

And that started me thinking:  just what is it that makes a gift perfect? What is the magic ingredient that makes a gift memorable long after the post-holiday sales are over, and the credit card bills are paid?

Some people are blessed with the gift of giving.  They seem to always find the perfect thing for those they love. I am not one of those. I have occasionally been known to re-gift.  So I asked a few local next-door divas about the best gifts they ever gave.

Melissa Artley grew up in Tucker and has a real gift for giving. Since we’ve been best friends for the past 25 years or so, I’ve been the lucky recipient of some of her best efforts. More often than not she has produced gifts that moved me to tears – the good kind of tears, mind you. “The best gifts aren’t about the money.” she notes, wisely. “The perfect gift is thoughtful, unique, personal, and free.”  She winks. The best gift she ever gave? It was to me, she admits.

I have a real infatuation with Doris Day. I have seen all her old movies, own many of them, have dozens of her albums, even searched online for months for a copy of her biography which has been out of print for decades. For my 30^th birthday, Melissa wrote to her and asked her if she would autograph a photo for me for my birthday. To her great relief, it arrived just a few days before my birthday. Something I would never have thought of for myself is now a treasured possession, sitting on the mantel among the photos of grandparents, aunts and uncles.

The best gifts aren’t about the money.

Laurie Golding says the best gift she ever gave was to her sister.  “I worked for two years on an 18-count counted cross-stitched piece entitled ‘Peaceful Jungle.’ she told me.   I entered it in the Georgia National Fair and won a first-place ribbon. Then I gave it to my sister, who is very close to me. It was a memorable moment for both of us. I think it was what she said after studying the work that meant the world to me.”  What did her sister say? "I know you were thinking of me the whole time you were sewing this.” 

“She was right about that.” Laurie continues. “I think that giving something special shows those we care about that we are thinking of them at the time we are either making or buying something special for them.”

The best gifts are about thoughtfulness.

Debbie Carlton is Associate Pastor at Tucker First United Methodist Church. Now here’s someone who knows about it being more blessed to give than receive, I thought. So I asked her. The best gift?

“It was probably a video to my Dad on his 50^th birthday.” she said. “At the time, we (her brothers and sisters) were all scattered across the US. We all sent in pictures and taped video messages then had a professional put them together. It was his life story, ending with messages from all of his kids.”

The best gifts aren’t even things people necessarily know they need:  a reminder they are loved, a symbol we are thinking of them, the knowledge we took the time to do something especially for them. What more could you ask for?

Happy holidays.