Gifts Post #2

According to Emerson, one should give gifts that took time to make. They should be from the heart and the gift should be part of yourself. Not an impersonal gift card. Material possessions are no good unless they are somting personally made with meaning or purpose. Emerson would say buying jewelry for someone is not acceptable, but if you are a blacksmith and made it yourself, then it is fine. The giver should not expect gratitude after giving the gifts. If the giver receieves a thanks, it gives them too much superiority. One should give a gift not expecting anything in return.
One should not be too emotional when receiving gifts. If one likes it too much then it shows he/she likes the "commodity" more than the actual person. Emerson tells us that jewelry (in general) is not an exceptable gift even though it seems that way in society. In society, there is a never-ending gift cycle. People are more concerned with giving an equal amount to what they are recieving when really one should not care for something in return. We should not constantly be in "gift debt."
With the holidays coming up, it is very interesting to think about what would happen if I decided to beome a gift-giver and reciever in Emrsonian terms. I would not go out and buy a gift for my brother and friends, but instead have to make something or do something clever. This would be extremely difficult and take a lot of time and effort to find the perfect gift for them. Often I have trouble finding gifts for people, so making my own would be a good idea. In regards to my parents, when I was little, I would always make a gift for them; they were never bought. I would take construction paper and draw/paint them a card, then decorate a plate or pot for them. We have tons of ceramic pots at home from when I was little. As I got older, I became lazier. I still always make them a card instead of buying one, but rarely to I make them a gift. If I became an Emersonian gift-reciever, I am sure my parents would be a bit taken aback. If I did not say thank you, then it would be considered rude. If I do not show a little emotion when recieving gifts from others, they might think I do not like it.
It is hard to remember the best "Emersonian" gift I have ever recieved. I do not know if this is truely what Emerson was talking about, but I have to say that I get an Emersonian gift every year when my mom makes me breakfast. It seems trivial, but it is something home-made and definitely time-consuming. Often she will make me vanilla-cinnamon-blueberry pancakes, fruit and fresh sqeezed OJ. It really starts of my morning well.