Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

Searching for the Meaning in Gifts

The wise men brought three gifts. The gold we know about but Frankincense seems to be a form of oil that we might inhale via a vapouriser to induce calm and myrrh is also an essential oil. So in today’s terms with the absence of gold they don’t seem that exotic any more. And that’s especially true if you watched the Top Gear Special in the Holy land a few years ago which wasn’t really an advert for high end gift giving. The real offering of the Magi was in their quest for a boy child across deserts and through dangerous royal courts. Their devotion was their real gift.

Giving Gifts as Old as Humankind

We can see the original idea of the gift is lost in the mist of time and that gifts don’t mean what they used to. A lot more gifts also change hands these days, which makes it harder for your gift to appear special and to show thought in every gift.

One expert said "The very idea of the soul of the gift has been lost. The gift has lost its character as a gift and become a product, a commodity." Well what is really being exchanged is more than the monetary value of the gift.  A gift shows shared emotional, social and cultural ties. Gifts are a way of saying we have a relationship and let’s make it stronger. To give a gift without thought erodes this process and its social meaning.  But what if they don’t like it?  It is a risk - so people take risk out of gift giving with tokens and store credit and cash. But this is the absolute opposite of the meaning of gifts- which say ‘we share things,’ ‘we care.’

Show You Care

If you want to show people you care and you share and that you want t help the relationships give gifts with thought and shared values. If you know they like a wee drink on the odd occasion that they like to make it special then try FLOWER OF SCOTLAND, a British hand cut range of giftware and stemware, expertly decorated with a thistle design. Hand cut by one of the most highly skilled intaglio craftsmen in the UK.

https://www.jamespirie.com/royal-scot-crystal/wine-suites/flower-of-scotland.html

Or for the teetotaller why not spread a little happiness with SANDERSON FINE BONE CHINA MUGS which are with Etchings and Roses prints from Mulhouse have been faithfully reproduced against a contrasting coloured background on fine bone china mugs. These are fine fine presents at low low prices.

https://www.jamespirie.com/royal-worcester/sanderson-fine-bone-china-mugs.html