Tis the weekend before Christmas and prime gift giving time for those of us of the Christmas-persuasion. Gift giving usually means gift receiving as well and that can range from delightful to disappointing depending on your attitude and your expectations.

 

This can be a time for your femininity to shine. You can show how much you appreciate and praise his thoughtfulness. You can receive graciously with delight in your eyes and make him proud to provide for you. That’s all pretty easy when you receive something delightful but what if you open the box and it falls flat?

 

Attitude Adjustment

 

Somewhere in your childhood, you undoubtedly received at least one gift that made your face drop. Whether it was from Grandma or your weird Aunt, your mom told you to say thank you and you dutifully kissed her and said thank you, never looking at the thing again. (My uncle and his wife were good for weirdo gifts, the one that sticks out the most is a three comic book set about animal super heroes. An avid reader as a child, comics were never my thing. Worse still, he explained to me why I had to keep them in the wrapping. I was maybe 10. But I digress).

 

The “smile and thank you” strategy is good when you are 9 and it’s Grandma but it is not nearly as satisfactory when you are 29 and it’s your SO. Instead now is the time to dig deep and change your outlook on the gift. Focusing on the man giving it, rather than the object itself.

 

Reconceptualize it in your mind

  • He spent time. He cares enough to go through the rigmarole of shopping at the holidays. He took physical time out of his life to do this one thing for you. Appreciate that you were in his mind and in his plans even though you weren’t in his presence.

  • He spent mental energy. He thought about you, picked something he knows about you and chose this gift. Maybe it’s not to your taste or liking, but that doesn’t mean that there is no effort behind it. Love him for the effort and view the item as a representation of that effort.

  • He spent resources. We all like being doted on at least a little. It’s a warm feeling to know that a man can and will provide and take care of us. Gifts are a physical manifestation that you are worth spending money on to him. No matter how well off a guy is, he could be spending those resources on himself, but instead, he’s spending on you. You must be special and he wants to show you that.

 

Even if you hate what is under the wrapping paper, you can chose to be delighted by the man who gave it. Let your eyes shine for him as you graciously thank him and truly mean it.

 

Wishing you all a long weekend of food, friends and family. Merry Christmas!!