Spirit of giving matters more than gifts' contents
By Jay Doughty Special to the Kansan
Cookbooks for the culinary challenged and fruitcakes returned jokingly are just some examples of odd gifts that Lawrence residents have encountered in years past.
But what really matters isn't what the gift is, but the act of giving, said Dennis Dailey, professor of social welfare. He said that he might receive some surprises, but that he never complained about a gift.
"I don't assess gifts givers give," he said.
"When I give gifts, they have meaning to me, so I hope they have meaning to that individual," he said.
Dailey said that also was true when he was the giver. He said that his gifts usually were a reflection of him.
Matt Yarrington, Topeka junior, said that his father had given him some weird gifts and that sometimes he didn't know what to think about them.
"My dad knows I can't cook, and I don't even try, but last year he gave me two cookbooks," Yarrington said. "What's the deal with that?"
But Yarrington also said he realized that anything his dad gave him was important.
"It's all good, because I know my dad meant well, and that's what was important to me," he said.
B. J. Gonzales, Topeka junior, said that he
also had received an odd gift.
"About three years ago my aunt sent me a fruit cake for Christmas," Gonzales said. "The only thing wrong with that it was it was the same fruit cake I sent her the year before. It was just a joke, and we all had to laugh."
Adam Courtney, Lawrence resident,
remembers one gift in particular.
"One year my parents gave me this crate of stuff for Christmas. It had nothing of value or significance in it. It was basically filled with things like books, socks, candy, a toothbrush and a box of condoms," Courtney said. "Worst of all, the crate was just sitting there under the tree, so I always knew what was in it. There was no element of surprise. What a gyp."
Some gifts can become a topic at every Christmas thereafter.
Bonnie Augustine, vice mayor of Lawrence, said that she gave a 10-cent reindeer to her twin brother one Christmas when he gave her a paint set that had cost $1. Augustine said she and her brother exchanged gifts annually, but he always reminded her about the 10-cent reindeer.
"He spent 10 times as much as a kid. I still get grief about that every Christmas," Augustine said.
Augustine said that although she was reminded every year of her reindeer gift, the Christmas spirit was the most important part of the season.
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