Gift Giving

Something occurred to me last night that for me is a possible solution concerning gift giving in these troubled times.  With the cost-of-living skyrocketing, and people feeling they can’t warrant giving like they have in the past, as the cost-of-living bites.  It is not that people do not want to give.  They always have and always will, but I heard a figure recently that said people are likely to spend $60 less on gift giving this year.
I have obviously thought of such things before judging by the A4 bit of paper on the fridge.  It is a gift to Merril.  It says something like. “I will give you 2 hours doing for you what ever is in my power to do.”  I have been tempted to write a date past on it as an expiry date.
I am thinking maybe the gift of time is more feasible to give this year than gifts of money.  I often find such a thing to mean more than gifts of “things.”  It is not used as a cop out, but as a genuine attempt to lighten someone’s load where possible or to do something that needs doing.
Sometimes giving something of monetary value is easier than giving my time.  Merril has said she has so much to do.  This is a way of having someone else do some of it.  To me the amount of time could start at a few minutes.  Much to me depends on how well the time is used.  The only way to gauge that it seems is to go by how it has been used in the past.  That to me will determine the value of any time given.
The value of any gift to me is the cost.  As they say easy come easy go.  But spending money to me may not be the most sensible use of my resources.  Sometimes time is of more lasting or meaningful value that money.  Sometimes time enables greater insight into my love and care for another that giving a physical gift that may be regifted at the first chance.
Maybe it is wishful thinking.  Maybe it is Pollyanna like but having done it and seen the result, I know it can mean more than something given and easily forgotten.