Gracious Receiving
With Christmas just around the corner, I’m wondering what it means, when you give someone a hand-made gift and they don’t like it?
I suppose that it could mean that I made it poorly–but I don’t like poor craftsmanship, even if the stuff I use is normally second-hand. It could also mean that what I made doesn’t match the person’s personality–I admit that this could be the case, but I normally don’t make something until I have looked into that aspect of the gift.
What it really says to me about the person receiving the gift, is that they are either so materialistic that they must have something purchased from the store or it isn’t “good enough.” Another possibility is that they don’t understand how much work I put into their gift–although, with how cheaply things are made nowadays, I suppose I cannot blame them for that.
I guess my main thought, here, is that if you get a hand-made gift–even one made from second hand things–the person who gave you that gift is giving you a lot more than just the physical gift, they’re giving a part of his or her self.
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4 opinions for Gracious Receiving
Anita
Dec 6, 2007 at 9:06 am
When my nieces and nephews were young I gave them a handpainted ornament every year for Christmas (I cut the wood ornament out too). I always wrote a special note on the back with a permanent pen - I definitely put a lot of love into them. I gave them for about 7 years in a row (these ornaments were in addition to a normal toy). There was never a thank you and I always felt rushed every year to get them done, so I stopped. Now they are all older, 13-21, and the last couple of years I’ve heard little snippets of conversation about how those are their favorite ornaments and how they always have special memories as they put them on the tree. Now I’m sad that I stopped!
Joshua Johnson
Dec 6, 2007 at 10:47 am
My grandmother used to do the same thing. We all like those ornaments too.
Doesn’t it make you feel warm and fuzzy and Christmasy (if that isn’t a word, it should be) inside?
Jane
Dec 8, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Here! Here! Doublely so for crafted gifts, but really we all get gifts we don’t like and we should be gracious anyway. There are many times when I send a gift I can’t use to goodwill. In a way, that gift blesses me because it allows me to choose to help others. So, smile handmade or store bought!
*Love* the name of your blog!
Joshua Johnson
Dec 9, 2007 at 12:44 am
Thanks! I love the name, though I can’t say I picked it out myself. I had help from the b5media people. If only I could get them to exchange the lime green background for something a little more rugged…
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