Meaningful gift-giving
petaling JaYa: Since the Christian Bishop of Myra – Saint Nicholas or, more popularly known, Santa Claus – gave new meaning to gift-giving many centuries ago, it has become a core tradition practised among friends, loved ones and even random strangers during Christmas.
Seeking to uncover current trends on gift-giving among Malaysians, Star2 discovered that while the types of gifts might have somewhat broadened, it seems that Malaysians still place a premium on the thought and meaning attached to them.
Prof Dr Roland Xavier, 56, famous for his brightly lit Christmas home in Subang Jaya, says meaningful and functional gifts are the way to go for him.
“Meaningful gifts represent the message of Christmas, such as nativity sets. Functional gifts are those that serve a purpose, like hiking backpacks, for instance,” shares the deputy dean of Bank Rakyat School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Sabahan Josephine Mary Dawson, 45, says she likes to receive religious items.
“These gifts bring me the true meaning of Christmas compared to material gifts,” says the senior relationship manager at a bank.
Lawyer Ronnie Yap takes a slightly different approach to similar effect.
“In our family, we don’t practise giving Christmas presents.
“We just like to spend time together; that is a gift in itself.
“So, perhaps you could say I like giving my time to my family and I like receiving the same from them,” he says.
Eleanor Simone Danker, 36, says she and her husband also typically set aside something practical for each of their family members.
“I usually give ang pow to my grandparents, parents and parents-in-law. To our nephew and nieces, of which we have seven altogether, we give age-appropriate toys,” says the corporate communications vice-president.
“Beginning last year, when my boy could understand things better, we paid a visit to an orphanage to give a donation during Advent,” Danker adds. “That was really meaningful to us.”
For some novel gift ideas, see Star2.