Bloggers are great gift givers. Yesterday I came home from a frustrating business trip to Winnipeg - where it was -48C with the windchill. That is so cold. I left Calgary in blowing snow at 5:00 a.m. My cab was late and stuck at the bottom of our hill - I had to walk down in my "meeting" boots and barely made my flight. I arrived home late, cranky and exhausted that same day..... to a parcel, all the way from England, from Lin full of wonderful, hand-made goodies - even the cat received some felted balls to play with. I got a necklace, yarn, a hand-sewn tree decoration and a cute card made by Lin. Bloggers give generously - often it is a spontaneous act - the most wonderful kind of giving. I was greatly cheered up and very touched. Thank you Lin.
Giving is synonymous with Christmas. We give presents to our children, to our loved ones, to those who are underprivileged... it is a time of year when we don't want anyone to go without. I often wondered if giving of gifts is a recent tradition that came along with the concept of Father Christmas or Santa or with the story of the Magi bringing gifts to the baby Jesus. I did some research and apparently gift giving to celebrate the winter solstice and the new year predates the birth of Christ and the celebration of Christmas as we know it. As Christianity spread, the act of gift giving was hard for church leaders to get rid of, hence, it was incorporated into the tradition of Christmas. The practice of gift giving as we know it, has its genesis in the Victorian era with the figure of Father Christmas or St. Nicholas. Today, in our somewhat material society, giving has gone to an extreme where people go into debt to give too many things.
I love that bloggers still cherish that special sentiment of giving gifts from the heart, typically made by them or other artisans and giving because they want to give. How fabulous is that?
I love that bloggers still cherish that special sentiment of giving gifts from the heart, typically made by them or other artisans and giving because they want to give. How fabulous is that?
24 comments:
A heartfelt gift given is completely wonderful.
What a nice treat for you to come home to after such a cold and stressful day!
what a great gift! i love that she even included something for your cat :)
I've met some of the most wonderful, kind people through blogging. :-) I love that first picture.
What a wonderful pick me up - well done lovely Lin.
May your knits keep you warm, I can't even imagine such coldness!
lovely post raina. and lovely gifts xx
Generous gift-making & giving... it's one of the few old-fashioned delights that we still enjoy. I hope it will never go out of style.
Sorry about the weather, on the bright side, at least you don't live here :P
Wow -- that's cold! What interesting info about the history of gift giving. And so interesting how we've become somewhat out of control -- I think many aspects of our life are that way these days. Handmade gifts are definitely the most fun!
And don't you often find that some of the best gifts you receive are those that weren't on "your list"? I.e. the ones that a loved one just thinks up out of the blue?
You are absolutely right about that. This world is divided into the givers and the takers. Often knitters/crafters by their nature are natural givers who want to share and make life more enjoyable for their friends and family. Lin's gift is a great example of this.
how sweet! lucky you! glad it cheered you up!
I like the picture of the cat, she likes her present a lot! How do you manage not to get frozen in such a cold? My naive question.
I think it is so much more fun to give to someone when you want to rather than out of obligation, especially when you think it is something just right for them. That is such a nice thing to come in out of the cold and find.
expect something from me one of these days... i finally went to the post office:)
Lovely post. Thank you for the history of gifts giving! I do believe we to often go over the top that time a year. Also the gifts even the smallest one given from the heart is defenetly tthe sweetest!ouchy!
you are so lucky, after a long day get such a special surprise!!have a nice weekend!
I think it's fabulous. I'm always amazed at how generous bloggers are.
Bloggers really are the best kind of people, aren't they?!
I can't believe you had to leave this cold only to go somewhere COLDER! Seriously, it couldn't have been somewhere just a little more tropical :)
nothing lovelier than surprise parcels...I can't think of anyone more deserving..xo t
Lovely post and beautiful gifts too.
Lin's treats are so lovely, as is your post.
I ham happy for you. What lovely gifts. And yes, bloggers are some of the most wonderful people.
Such beautiful handmade presents.
So pretty. The blogosphere is such a great place!
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