Gift Giving

In class on Friday we started talking about the importance of gift giving. We talked about how Hermes understood the importance of gift giving and used it to get what he wanted. So I started thinking about how it has changed and its role in today’s society.

The last gifts I gave were at Christmas, where I gave my parents and little sister a TV and gave my boyfriend a few shirts. I didn’t give these gifts in order to gain anything although I did get gifts myself. I think today the essence of gift giving has changed. Today gifts aren’t really given in a spontaneous manner; instead they are given on specified holiday occasions like birthdays and Christmas. Holidays, especially Valentine’s Day and Christmas have become very commercialized. Christmas is a time when major big box stores try to make the “big bucks” and make up any money they may have lost during the year. Christmas is also seen as a very stressful time. People have long lists of people to buy for. As a result of this the magic of gift giving is really ruined. Instead of really thinking about what the recipient would really enjoy, people are just looking for a quick out. Hermes knew what Apollo would want and really demonstrated how the gift worked. Today expensive gifts are many times considered the “best” gifts and lots of money is wasted on gifts people will never use. I think often times the best gifts are well thought out and inexpensive…gifts that really come from the heart.