The naughty way to write your nice list
MANILA, Philippines - It’s the Christmas season and it’s the time for giving. You’re making a list and checking it twice because you have to find out whether the people on it are deserving of a slice of your holiday pay. It’s a pretty hard decision. What was once a matter of who’s been naughty or nice now becomes an exercise in giving with abandon — but not completely because you wouldn’t have to choose who to give “great” gifts to if you had the money. So here’s a short how-to on finding out who makes the cut on your open heart and open wallet’s “nice” list.
The first good rule of thumb is to give gifts to those whom you see often and have helped you out in some small way. It doesn’t have to be big. It just has to mean something. Say you work in a stuffy office for a department with 12 people. You can hand out a bunch of small goodies to all 12 without breaking the bank while sending a message that you’ve been wanting to send all year. It’s never stressful to give a pack of cookies you bought on Instagram to someone who’s helped pick up the slack at the office to say, “Hey, I promise to be less of a d-bag next year” or to the guy who wipes down the machine at the gym you frequent to simply say “I’m sorry.” You can even “bigger person” it up by giving a small token to those who’ve dumped a bunch of work stuff on you that you didn’t really deserve to say “I forgive you, but do it less next time.” How true spirit of Christmas is that? Don’t forget about the other notable constants in your life if you have them: the guy that lets you take your drink out at a venue that typically doesn’t or that security guard in your building that lets you go over the underground parking limit in your apartment complex. It’s never a bad idea. I mean, even Coke made a commercial for it.
Another good barometer for festive gift-giving is to find those who have been good at hearing out and consolidating your emotional baggage for the year. They’re your best friends or the person who just happened to a stronger acquaintance who was there (online, offline, you choose) at the time when you just really needed someone to talk to. No matter who they are, a token of gratitude is in order. There’s at least five people for me in this category; the only Christmas gift they deserve is me sending them off on a tropical island break to a destination with no TV but lots of champagne. But since we don’t have that kind of budget on hand (speaking for myself and most of you), a good “something” should do. You could either think along the lines of a small gift that they can keep and not eat if you’re a little financially blessed. Or if you’re really broke, you could sit somewhere with fast Internet and assemble them a digital package of pirated content of things they love. And if all else fails, mini bottles of their favorite alcohol should do the trick too.
The last category, and maybe the most important one, is buying gifts for those people in your life that you love — significant others, best friends, family, pets. If there’s a shape of any of them in your heart that goes missing when they leave, you should definitely buy them a present. I would advise that you get these people things they wouldn’t usually get themselves. That’s easy for your pets because they have no purchasing power but a lot trickier for your human loves. Pro tip No. 1: Listen closely this Christmas season for things that they complain about in conversation. Find an issue there wherein the problem can be solved with a little item. Poof, Christmas gift. A second less pro tip, while at the mall with your loved ones and you enter a store they like: watch out for all the potential gifts in looking at the things they touch. Spot it, leave, come back the next day and buy the next size up. It’s pretty obvious if you buy the same exact thing. And it’s Christmas — a little more doesn’t hurt. If you are wondering, you are more than welcome to relegate certain family members, extended friends and unfavored pets to non-gift territory. If you still value their perception of you a little, you can send them individual messages over Christmas. Still special, at a fraction of a fraction of the cost of a tangible present. As always, it’s the thought that counts.
Zenaida Seva said it best, your fate’s success in finding the perfect gifts for special people isn’t completely in the hands of this article — Gabay lamang ito, meron po kayong free will. Maybe I paraphrased and your Christmas shopping tensions might be better relieved with some perspective. You’ll have a list of about 20 people, Santa has billions.
