Audible
My Sigh
Gift giving. Shopping. Trying to buy the right thing. Will they like it? Will they use it? Am I buying just to buy?
YES! In most cases, yes.
I do not enjoy the season of selecting presents. I know, bah humbug.
One year, I tried gifting experiences — a play with my mother-in-law, lunch and a trip to the mall with my niece, tickets to a basketball game for my nephew. I really liked the idea of giving a memory, but there was a snag. Scheduling. Everybody is so busy. It became a hassle instead of a joy.
And so I’ve gone back to standing in front of shelves and racks asking myself, “Will they like this? Do they need it? Should I just buy the gift card?”
Audible sigh.
My dad is eighty. The man has what he wants. He is frugal to a fault. He does not believe in excess and has imprinted his beliefs upon me, his daughter.
We have not exchanged gifts for years.
Yesterday, as I shopped for others, a gift idea for him magically appeared in my mind. He wasn’t even on my list.
It is the gift of a gift.
I’ll explain.
My dad indulges in breakfast out several times per week. I’ve been out with my dad enough to know, that whichever waitress draws the unlucky straw for his table, is in for a morning of teasing and jokes.
Please know I say this with great affection. Some servers actually like it.
My dad can make a spoon balance in his coffee cup and will complain that his coffee is too stiff. He carries an encyclopedia of silly jokes in his head. He means well, but I’ve witnessed the expressions on waitstaff’s faces. They humor him, but I suspect some secretly cannot wait for him to be on his way. As a kid, I was mortified. As an adult, I offer apologetic glances.
Circling back to his frugal nature, he tips ten — maybe fifteen percent, to the nearest dime. He grew up during the depression, so cut him some slack. He believes he is being generous and fair.
I hope I’ve set the stage appropriately for my idea.
This year, I am going to give him envelopes with five and ten dollar bills enclosed. I am going to write the words A Little Extra on the exterior. I’m going to put a sticky note on the bill with the words:
Thanks for taking care of my dad today.
I am going to ask my dad to give them along with his tip, randomly to different servers — kind of a pay it forward thing.
I have no idea how he’ll react to this gift. He might find it confusing and wasteful, or he might love the story he can tell about his daughter’s gift of the envelopes. My dad loves to tell a story — hmmm.
It could go either way, but I’m hoping for the latter reaction.
I’m thankful for this idea in the season of excess. Thankful to pay forward goodwill through my father who has given me so much.
I’m thankful, quite simply thankful. This is what the season is about.
