I know the Christmas season can be enjoyed even without the usual gift-giving tradition but how do you explain that to those who usually associate Christmas with lavish gifts, thirteenth-month-pays, sumptuous parties, grand reunions, fun vacations and bonuses? I wonder how those who are less fortunate than I am would welcome the coming holidays.

I remember one Christmas time when I used to work in an institution in Thailand, our community chaplain Fr. Maier made the rule to have not more than ten (or was it twenty?) Thai Baht for the cost of the gifts to be exchanged during the midnight Christmas party. With such a small amount as the limit, we were left thinking of what to come up as gifts.

What happened during the party was fun though, as we saw many handmade items made of simple materials, such as wooden sticks and paper, being handed over within the community as we exchanged our gifts which were mostly a labor of love and creativity from the giver. It was Fr. Maier’s way of telling us that we can still enjoy exchanging gifts without spending a lot. What matters most is the spirit of giving and sharing.

Tomorrow will be the first day of December (how time flies!) and I bet most of you have done some Christmas shopping by now. For me, I haven’t even made my list yet. Anyway, these are some questions that usually come to mind when I think about gift-giving:

• What is your motivation for giving the gift?

• Does the recipient really need the gift or you buy it just to give something and get over with your shopping?

• How much are you willing to spend for a gift?

• On kids, if they beg you for a Barbie Doll, Hannah Montana item or a toy robot, will you give in to their requests or give them educational toys instead?

• What about gift certificates instead of racking your brains thinking about what to give?

• Why not make handmade gifts instead?

• What would be a nice handmade gift?

A lot of questions usually come up about buying gifts especially when you have limited budget. What other creative gifts can you think of that cost less, or even nothing, but would make somebody happy?

This brings to mind a lighthearted moment with my former boss before. It was almost Christmas and usually Filipinos would tease each other about asking for gifts. I jokingly asked him for a Christmas gift and he wittingly replied, “Presence, not presents, hija.” Smart answer indeed! I wish I could tell that to my godchildren too! 🙂