Taking Gifting to the Next Level

AsergfdChristmas is nearly approaching! Finally, it’s that time of year again where we celebrate the day when Jesus Christ, Our Saviour was born. I remember reading an article before saying that Christmas is not just about Saviour’s infancy but his divine nature. Remember that God sent His son Jesus to the world to be born and bring great joy to everyone! This is what Christmas is all about and it is really sad that most people are celebrating it in different ways and reasons, forgetting the real meaning of this very important occasion! For me, Christmas is all about sharing and showing your love to someone and it can be done in so many ways but let us all be honest here, let us admit that it is so hard to imagine Christmas without thinking about giving or receiving gifts especially for kids.We took efforts to buy gifts and give them to someone we value and to show them our affection. Exchanging gifts is more like a tradition for many of us. I remember myself participating countless times in our school and office Monito-Monita, a traditional Filipino gift giving. My family used to exhange gifts too every Christmas eve after the “Noche Buena“. It is not mandatory but there is really something about gifting that makes you feel special and happy whether you receive something in return or not.Interestingly, exchanging gifts is not really a new practice and in fact even Christ Himself have done it numerous times in the Bible not how we do it today but in a much greater way. Keep in mind that Jesus took our sin and died on the cross and give us the eternal life in return. It’s the greatest spiritual exchange ever that nobody in this world could ever match. This is the reason why Jesus should be the center of this very special occasion. So every time you give a gift to someone, you do it not just to show your affection to your recipient but also your small yet special way to thank God for the blessings he has given to us. So let us all make our Christmas special by looking at gift giving in an all new way or better yet we take gifting to a next and much more meaningful level this year and years to come! In relation to this wonderful topic, I laid out three special questions for you guys! I will share my own answers and I hope you guys will do the same. Here we go! (apology for my silly pictures LOL)thur
I can’t remember the last time I offer myself a gift. I don’t know. Maybe I’m too busy with my job and other commitments and I forget to give myself a treat which I personally think I really deserve. Giving yourself a gift regardless if there is an occasion or not is actually not a selfish act. It is a matter of appreciating your efforts and time you offer for your work. It is a matter of giving yourself a reward and also to motivate yourself to continue whatever you are doing (in short, an incentive). Although I am not really expecting any gifts from anyone this year, I never missed a chance to make a Christmas wish list for myself. I often list a lot but only pick one or two from them and buy it. My wish list this year brings out the inner kid in me. Topping my list is an Ant-man collectible. My collection is growing and I want more. I saw a lot of Ant-man Funko Pop figures online and I am so eager to buy one. In addition to that, I also want to buy an Ant-man life-size helmet and costume since I am planning to have my first ever cosplay next year! If my budget is good enough, I also want to buy myself a new phone, one with better camera if possible!
But of course, above any material things, what I want the most is to have a good health! I had some health issues lately but I know that with God’s help, I will be able to make it through!
thur2This is actually one of the most challenging tasks I get every year. For a breadwinner like me, I always want to give my family the best gift I could ever offer. I want to give them gifts that they will surely appreciate. Since I need to make a budget for this one, believe it or not, i make my list as early as September. I start asking questions in a way that it is not too obvious for them that I am asking them what kind of gift they want. I get some ideas from others and I was like a detective looking for clues. Once I figured them out, I will list them down and look for their prices either online or through window shopping. Since my mom and my sister are both reading my blog posts from time to time, I am not going to disclose much about their gifts (sorry guys, you have to wait for 50 more days before you find out LOL). To give you a clue, most of my gifts this year are personalized and some are gadgets too *wink. My little brother Milzon, on the other hand, has been doing great things in school and I think he deserves a great treat from his cool brother (self-proclaim haha) this year. I have two options for him. He wants to have a bike or a remote control car. Both are great gifts I must say but they are both expensive too. I just hope my budget is good enough to shoulder either one of these items. Of course, it is hard to imagine Christmas without my godchildren or my “inaanak”. I actually refrain myself from giving them cash. Although I know they want it more than the actual gifts (which is pretty sad that kids are like that nowadays), I would rather become their “KJ Ninong” rather than exposing them to money at very young age. I don’t mind exerting time and effort going to Divisoria and buy them toys. I just love wrapping gifts and place them all under the Christmas tree. Above any material things, the best gift you can offer for your loved ones is the Gift of Time. Spending quality time with your family is just a priceless gift you can offer not just every Christmas but in every opportunity you have. It’s the kind of gift that your money couldn’t buy! thur3Just because it is Christmas doesn’t mean everyone is happy. Well, we should be celebrating such occasion with full of joy but unfortunately, not all can have such moment for many reasons. Some people are financially incapable of giving their kids some nice clothes or toys for Christmas. They couldn’t even afford to buy something to eat for Christmas Eve. Some people might have lost someone tragically especially those poor victims of Typhoon Lando. Some of them might not lost someone but they probably lost their shelter and they have no other place to stay. Imagine how depressing their conditions are? I will answer this question through this wonderful quote from Bishop Reynaldo Evangelista. 
zxxsss“Praying is not enough, devotion is also not enough if we forget the needy”. Our parish priest Rev Fr Dominador Medina used to remind us about this in almost all of his homily. Although prayer has always been a powerful tool, it has never been enough if you’re not making some actions. We should always let ourselves become the instrument of God especially when helping those who are in need. There are many ways to help other people and it doesn’t really matter how big or small you offer as long as you do it with all your heart. I am so happy to become a part of Legion of Mary (a church’s mandated organization) not just because they are guiding me to Jesus through Mary but also because of their apostolic works that I am really proud of. This group really shows me how to take “gifting” to an all new level by simply helping those who are in need.
collagetAside from organizing a monthly Jail mass, we also have a yearly gift giving project for inmates. This is our very own simple way to let the inmates feel the spirit of Christmas even though they are in jail. Most of these are hygiene items because these are the only products allowed in the prison. We also help them sell their own handicrafts too.
ZxvxsddThe gift giving for inmates is a project of our Senior praesidium and our juniors have a separate project too. As a leader of the Junior praesidium, me, my co-leader and the kids initiated a gift giving project not for inmates but for kids especially those in depressed areas. Our first gift giving project for this year will be held this coming November 20. We are so happy that we got sponsors who voluntarily offer their help. The Barangay captain and their officials have been very helpful too as they help us pick kids from their area who really deserve to be in this event. I am really excited for this project and I will buzz more about it soon. PB102817tInterestingly, you do not have to become a part of a church organization or an NGO just to help others. You can always take gifting to a new level in your very own simple yet meaningful ways. You can use many sources online to donate money or offer relief goods to the victims of Typhoon Lando or you might also consider making poor kids’ Christmas a lot merrier by shopping! Yes, you shop and you help through this wonderful “Give A Bear Joy” project as part of “Merry SM Christmas” campaign.
PB102821tMy sister and I saw these cuddly teddy bears yesterday in Toy Kingdom booth in SM Mall of Asia and we couldn’t help ourselves but to purchase it. For just Php200, you can buy a pair of cute Teddy Bears but here is the interesting catch, you only get to keep one of the bears while the other one will be donated to various orphanages and charitable institutions through SM Cares Program. I picked the brown teddy for me while the Blue one will be on his way to a lucky orphan. Along with this is a small gift card where you can input the name of the Teddy you wish to donate and also a short message for the recipient. Since the bear is blue, i decided to named him bluedreamer (it’s my blogger name after all LOL)
PB102844tOur little Teddy joining us on our meal ^_^ Aside from the Give a Bear Joy project, Merry SM Christmas has many other things to offer especially for their customers this Holiday season. Check out other promos below. ZZZZZMS  “For more updates about this year’s “Merry SM Christmas” campaign, visit SM’s official Christmas microsite (https://www.smsupermalls.com/merrysmchristmas2015) and follow its official social media accounts at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/smsupermalls), Twitter (https://twitter.com/smsupermalls), and Instagram (https://instagram.com/smsupermalls/); and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through Viber (http://chats.viber.com/SMsupermalls). Shoppers can actively share their holiday merriments inside the SM Supermalls by posting their photos on social media and adding the hashtag #MerrySMChristmas2015.”
PB112875t Again, there are so many ways to help and this Give A Bear Joy project is just one of the simplest yet sweetest way to give these orphans an all new meaning of Christmas. Let’s all be their Santa Claus by taking gifting to an all new level. I would love to end this post with this quote from Ben Carson saying “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give” Cheers!

17 thoughts on “Taking Gifting to the Next Level

  • November 11, 2015 at 1:25 am
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    yay, Christmas is around the corner and I guess many have already started with their gifts planning and shopping for the gifts and decorations already!! the month of giving, sharing and merriness is here again.. 🙂

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    • November 11, 2015 at 11:47 am
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      thanks SK

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  • November 11, 2015 at 10:13 am
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    When I was younger, receiving gifts was a big deal for me; that I should receive as much as I’d wanted. But as I grew older, I realized that the act of gift-giving isn’t about receiving the material things wanted, it’s the act itself of giving to our less fortunate brothers and sisters, to make them feel that they’re still loved.

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    • November 11, 2015 at 11:48 am
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      you are so right Renz… merry Christmas to you ^_^

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  • November 11, 2015 at 1:53 pm
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    The teddy bears look so cute and huggable! Prayers and contributions to the needy are both important.

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    • November 11, 2015 at 2:25 pm
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      thanks Roch ^_^ yes, we should never forget to offer prayers to those less fortunate people but we should also help them in any ways we can

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  • November 11, 2015 at 1:56 pm
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    It’s really exciting that Christmas is just around the corner. The gift giving would really be more meaningful and it’s also nice that there are a lot of programs for a cause this season.

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    • November 11, 2015 at 2:25 pm
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      thanks Franc

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  • November 11, 2015 at 10:17 pm
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    Gift giving is not only during Christmas season. It is a tradition which is to observed all through the year. There are poor among us who have nothing to eat three times a day. Giving is also a form of forgiving. We herald the Jesus comes to bring peace and goodwill toward men. Let’s forgive and forget for the sake of peace and harmony among us.

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    • November 11, 2015 at 10:48 pm
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      I agree Sir Gil.. thanks for dropping by

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    • November 12, 2015 at 3:46 am
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      yes, Small kucing…. thanks for dropping by

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  • November 12, 2015 at 8:12 pm
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    A very meaningful post, yes Christmas is coming and I will be buying some gifts for my family and friends though sometimes like you said they prefer cash haha

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    • November 13, 2015 at 4:24 pm
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      thanks Libby

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  • November 13, 2015 at 3:33 pm
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    I like your country’s spirit of celebrating Christmas..remembering Christ our Saviour. Our family celebrate Christmas in a merrier way with mountain of gifts and family gatherings.

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    • November 13, 2015 at 4:24 pm
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      thanks Agnes

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  • December 10, 2015 at 4:48 am
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    Christmas is the season of giving and what better way to celebrate His birth than by serving His people. Make them feel loved and cared for 🙂

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