Chasing 'the Perfect Gift'

 And so it begins .. 'Black Friday' and the mad dash for 'the perfect gift.'

I wonder how many billions of dollars will be spent on 'the perfect gift' this year. Prices for everything are sky high. People are struggling to afford life's necessities. Yet I have already seen a commercial in which the smiling wife gives her husband a big SUV, while he gives her a large puppy.

Advertisers have been touting 'Black Friday month' for a while. I get it. Businesses are scared they might not get enough sales due to the fragile economy this year. Too many people are struggling just to get by. I would hope that people are not tempted to spend money on things they can't afford. Sadly, each year people max out their credit cards during the holidays. I simply mute the commercials, or more likely, fast forward through them as I watch very little live television.

I found a perfect gift for myself yesterday. I 'adopted' a baby elephant in a sanctuary in northern Kenya. For a mere $50, I will help support this orphan for a full year. (Each orphan has multiple sponsors). I love elephants, so it made perfect sense to add this little female elephant to my 'herd' of three others sponsored through another Kenyan elephant sanctuary.

I made an early morning trip to the grocery store today. I was surprised by my visceral disgust when I spotted the first pile of supposedly Christmas-themed items  I have no idea what kinds of things were in the pile, but it was clearly meant to be a pile of stuff for Christmas. The leftovers from yesterday's Thanksgiving feast have barely been put away, and already we are being confronted by Christmas. Three satellite radio stations started playing holiday music in October! Some stores start setting out Christmas trees and other holiday decorations in August. 

Maybe I'm just an old curmudgeon. But I would like to see the Christmas season be a time of religious reflection for those so inclined, and a time for everyone to reach out to the less fortunate, to show kindness and generosity to others, and to focus far less on the endless search for 'the perfect gift.' When I was a child, my siblings and I would ask our cousins and friends "What did you get for Christmas?" Bragging about our haul of gifts was what we did. 

I would like to believe that we have outgrown that emphasis on what we get, and replace it with an emphasis on what we can give. But I don't believe we have. The push to buy and spend is as powerful as ever.

I enjoy buying things for friends and family, but only if I can think of something I know they will enjoy. I won't buy something out of a sense of obligation. This year, I am making personalized photo wall calendars for three friends who enjoy my photography. They don't expect me to do this, but it is something I enjoy and I know they will find pleasure in the calendars for the next 12 months.

What if rather than the endless search for "the perfect gift," we create something truly personal? Put your creative talents to work by making a painting, knitting or crocheting something, baking a tasty treat, giving a homemade jam or cookies or something else not mass-produced.

We can do better.