ROSE WRITES: How important is it to receive gifts well? And how do you do that? We often hear that giving is a blessing. That also means it should be a joy to receive someone’s gift. But how do we practically do that? And (bonus question!) besides salvation, what’s the greatest gift you’ve ever received?
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It is very important to receive gifts well!! The Bible talks about being thankful for what we have been given. When we receive gifts; even if it’s not something we really want or need, it’s always appropriate to thank the giver of the gift. If it’s something you don’t really want, try to think of something positive to say about it anyway even if all you can muster up is, “That was very thoughtful. Thank you for the gift.” or “It was kind of you to think of me. Thank you!” Acknowledge that they gave you a gift…
This can be hard…trust me, I know… A relative of mine who is in her 50’s and has never had children before thought at appropriate gift for me when I was 14 years old was a princess sippy cup thing.. =P I’m not joking!! The cup had pictures of all different disney princesses and there was a ginormous Belle on top of the sippy cup before the straw came out of her head…It was ugly, I hated it, and it was embarrassing that i had received that as a 14 year old.. =P Tbh, I was NOT happy or grateful for that gift…Not that it was wrong of me not to like it. That’s okay!!! What 14 year old would like that gift?? But my heart was wrong in being angry and annoyed….Even still, I told this person “thank you for thinking of me with this gift.”
Anyway, that addressed what we should do when we DON’T like a gift…but it can also be hard to know exactly how to thank someone when we LOVE a gift..I mean, for me, I don’t want to make an idol out of the gift or brag about to to people around me…but I do want that person to know i appreciate it!! So simply telling them WHY I love it so much will suffice…Saying, “Hey Grandma, I really like this shirt you gave me! I”ve been wanting one like this for a really long time and you were really thoughtful to pick out this color since you know I love it so much! =) In fact! I think I’ll wear it to church tomorrow!” Practically explaining why you appreciate the gift means a lot!
You can also write a thank you note as well!!! I know we don’t often do this within a family circle..but why not?? Even if it’s a sibling that gives you a gift you have thoroughly enjoyed, loved ,or appreciated, write him/her a thank you note! It means a lot!! (Hint: handwritten if possible becuase it’s a lot more meanigful than a text… 😉 )
Lastly, just remember gifts aren’t always tangible and sometimes they are but we don’t see them!! Sometimes people gift us with their time, efforts, words, teaching, example, etc….Those are things worth thanking people for and writing thank you notes about also… =)
Hope this helps! Sorry it was long… =P I tend to be lengthy…
I think you covered all the bases regarding this question!
Thanks.. =D
Accept gifts with gratitude whatever you do. Outside of salvation and my family and friends, my best gift would be my iPad.
Merry Christmas to all.
I think that basically receiving gifts well involves being excited about the gifts (no matter what they are). I think sometimes, it can be easy to be disappointed by what we get if it’s not exactly what we want. And people can tell when we’re disappointed. So, respond in love in a way that your friend or family member would appreciate. For example if you know that your friend that gave you the gift, is “Olaf, and likes warm hugs” you can show your appreciation by hugging them (or whatever you feel comfortable with doing.) Other peoples love languages could be words of encouragement etc. Try to speak to their specific love language and person. I know this isn’t about gift giving, but gift getting, but for my birthday my friend got me a gift card. Although, I really appreciated it, because of who I am, the card he wrote me was like 100 times more meaningful than the actual gift. So, I think in gift giving and gift getting it’s important to remember who you’re interacting with.
As for my favorite gift other than salvation (and according to tmselden other than family and friends too was probably actually that card I mentioned. . .or else (looking back) The Official Guide to Adventures in Odyssey (I was like 8ish, and I almost killed my aunt with the hug I gave her. I guess I wasn’t thinking about love language then, as she’s a very untouchy person.)
The gift that changed my life the most was probably my Kindle.
Kindle is great because all the good old books are free! There’s even some by Booth Tarkenton, Earl Derr Biggers, and Luisa May Alcott. Yay for public domain!
LOL Adventures in Odyssey are awesome. That was a supremely awesome gift.
Like everyone else said, be thankful and gracious. The best gift my family ever got was after Dad had been unemployed for almost a year, my Gramma was dying, and life was just hard. Anyway, we got a little box full of $2,723.19 in gift cards and cash from different people in my church — about 30 people. It was like living in It’s a Wonderful Life!
Cool!
I guess I would just say the same as most people have said; be grateful and excited.
I’m not sure if this counts, but greatest gift I’ve got, wasn’t actually for me. It was Do Hard Things, and it was actually my brothers’ book but they didn’t read it and a couple years later I stumbled upon it and decided to read it.
That’s a totally legit choice. . .I think.