The Road to 40 Day 213/365: Gifts and Gifting

It’s Vino’s last week of school before they go on a break, so it was a pretty chill start to the week.

Che decided to work from home this day, and the Philippines (which she works with) was on holiday, so for me, it didn’t feel like a real work day because I had company at home.

She did still have to work, even though both of us refused to really get moving to do our respective things. At some point, I did have to move, as I folded the relatively small mountain of laundry I had waiting for me.

We had lunch together, which I didn’t cook, because she felt like having some Chinese noodles.

I was supposed to get a bunch of things from a store, because Che bought a few things to give out to her work friends for Christmas. However, she said it might be too heavy, so it would be best if she just heads over there herself instead of me getting it before picking up Vino.

Christmas is a time of giving, and I’m happy to be in a position where we are able to think about things we can give our friends without the hassle of looking at it as an unnecessary expense of the season. I mean, sure, we’re buying something that we can choose not to, but choosing it allows us to brighten up our friends’ days.

Vino and I had a talk the other day, as I asked him what he wanted for Christmas. He said “I get asked this question a lot of times, and I always don’t know what to say.”

It’s frustrating but satisfying at the same time. I say it’s frustrating because you always want to have an idea of what someone wants so that you can get them a gift that they would be excited about. On the other hand, it’s satisfying somehow because he doesn’t feel the need to wish for something, which means he has enough.

Like most kids not born into privilege, Che and I didn’t have much growing up. It’s not that our parents didn’t love us, they were just practical about the things that they gave us. That said, we’d go to a toy store wishing for a toy, but we probably won’t get it unless we do something really good in school or something.
Meanwhile, Vino was born into a more comfortable life. As a dad, I enjoy spending what I have for anything that he wants. As a kid at heart, I would indulge some useless toys he would ask for because I understand how it would be fun.

As he grew older, I’m letting him value “needs” over “wants” considering the amount of things he already has. That said, he gets to enjoy a lot of things, so he doesn’t really have a particular wish list.

But I feel like he’s a better kid than I am.

When I was about his age, I would always expect a toy, partly because I didn’t have much, but mostly because I was a kid. One time, I got a set of clothes, and I said “aww, just clothes?”

I got in trouble for it, and I understood why in retrospect.

People thought gave a lot of thought about what they could give me, and my comment screamed “unappreciative brat.” I shared this story with Vino, but he was never one to be disappointed by anything. He’s always been excited to get anything from anyone. Big or small, he would open a gift with the same excitement and happiness.

Anyway, Che also has a charity that she regularly donates to. This year, she ordered some blankets for migrant workers, as requested by the charitable organization. She has consistently donated to this charity ever since she had some extra budget. Ever since I met her, she has always been open to help people in need, sometimes without even thinking about herself.

I helped her pack some of the blankets, but it was a little too big for the plastic bag that she ordered.

I went to pick up Vino and met Che at the store where she bought gifts online. It was a pretty heavy bunch, so we went home first to drop it off. She wrapped some of them already before we headed out to Vivo for dinner.

She needed to look for a dress for an upcoming party, so while she was doing that, Vino and I found a spot where we could sit and wait for her.

Before heading home, we dropped off some gifts for her Filipino work friends. Some of them will be heading home to the Philippines as well, so we agreed to maybe have a gathering in January when everyone’s back.

It was a day of gifts, which I hope Vino learned a lot from. The best feeling comes from being able to give a well-thought out gift without expecting anything in return, something that Che has always been a shining example of during this season.