On Gifting - Then and Now

 

 

​G​rowing up in middle-class childhood homes, new clothes were bought only on Diwali or birthdays. Things were limited, and so were choices. Which is why gifts mattered. They arrived rarely, deliberately, and with meaning. If someone gifted us something we truly needed, loved, or had been wanting for a long time, it felt special​ and almost magical. Big or small, a decorative piece or a simple item of clothing, it was treasured because it carried emotion, effort, and thought. It wasn’t just an object; it was a feeling wrapped in paper.

Today, with disposable incomes and everything available at our fingertips, the meaning of gifts has quietly shifted. Our homes are already full. We buy what we want the moment we think of it. We rarely know each other deeply enough to understand real needs or quiet desires. In a culture of instant buying and constant upgrading, gifts often become repetitive, impersonal, or forgettable. Many times, they feel less like an expression of care and more like a social obligation​. A box to be checked.

Of course, well​ thought​ out and heartfelt gifts still hold immense value, and they always will.​.. But when gifting loses intention and turns into routine​ or obligation, one can’t help but wonder​ ​if the culture of gifting has lost its soul? And if so, should we pause, rethink, or even stop, until meaning finds its way back?