Thoughtful gifts for friends
Posted by admin in General
When my sister moved to the other side of the country, her friends put together a huge photo album filled with photos from high school all the way through to their working lives. Each photo had a written description, and the book was decorated with little illustrations and personal notes to my sister.
I thought the photo album was a wonderful idea—how often do people go away, whether temporarily on holiday, or for a longer period of time—without knowing how the people they care about feel about them? Much in the same way that it’s always nice to end a telephone conversation by telling someone how much you care, or by telling your partner that you love them as you leave the house in the morning, it’s important to let those around you know that you’re thinking of them.
The thought then came to me that they don’t even need to be going anywhere for me to tell or show them this—after all, there’s no rule against letting someone know that they’re important to you. Perhaps, I thought, rather than waiting for someone to step out of my life before letting them know how I feel, I should seize the moment and do something to show that they’re special to me.
Perhaps it could be something as simple as baking a batch of cookies and putting them in a hand-decorated jar. Perhaps I could simply write them an old-fashioned letter or a card—I always send my best friend, who’s single, a Valentine’s day gift when that time of the year rolls around. Herbs planted in a painted pot make a lovely gift, as would a magazine cut-out collage of things that that they love.
Seeing how much my sister’s friends clearly loved her and enjoyed her company and friendship made me question whether my dearest friends really know how I care about them, and this is something I’m going to make sure I do in my own life.