Not the Gift of the Magi

It was around 7 PM on the evening of Boxing Day 2022 that I called up my mom. We discussed at length how we both celebrated our Christmas. Suddenly she asked me - “got any Christmas gift this year?” to which I replied no! Then, she curiously asked, if I’d gifted anyone a Christmas gift, to which I again replied in the negative. Then with a low voice, she whispered ‘come tomorrow, give someone a gift, whom you feel deserves the most.’

That night, while I was lying on my bed, I began to think of who, when, where, and what kind of gifts I should buy. The first thought that came across my mind was a gift to my parents, who are more than 3,000 KMS from Bengaluru – the place where I am located. Then, my mind started wandering to whom should I give this gift. With a confused state of mind, I slept off.

The next morning when I woke up, I went to a grocery store and bought a Red Bull (Energy drink) and kept it in my bag and I head off to my workplace. Upon reaching my workplace, I had skepticism if this were the gift that I would like to give to someone, who made the biggest impact on my life in 2022. Then, I started thinking beyond the energy drink ‘Red Bull’ and my mind completely shifted to F-1 where they dominated the circuit in 2022, winning both the Construction and Driver’s title. This thought made me heave a sigh of relief because the Red Bull that I am planning to gift is way beyond a drink. It signifies endurance, stability, and competitiveness. With this thought, I gifted the Red Bull to the person, who I believed made the most impact in my life in 2022.

The story of this Red Bull gift doesn’t end here. After an hour or so after parting with my gift, a thought came across my mind, if it was necessary to give someone a Red Bull as a way of thanking. Inwardly, I felt the gift was too mediocre, and I made myself look like a fool. But, the words of my mom, who is around 89 years old reverberated in my mind. Then out of nowhere, a short story written by French novelist Alphonse Daudet called ‘The Last Lesson’ published in 1873 hit me hard.

The Last Lesson is a short story set in the backdrop of the Franco-Prussian War and is narrated from the perspective of a little boy named Franz. In this story, the playful Franz wanted to learn his mother tongue ‘French.’ Alas! His dreams of learning his dialect were all but gone because the Germans have already occupied their village. Similarly, what Franz experienced in this story was something I did not want to experience myself. I know the drink Red Bull is not the greatest of gifts to give someone, but what if I don’t ever get a chance to do such deeds again was my thought. Come what may, and come what people think of me, this was the right gift was my only thought, and I duly justified myself.

In the end, I just want to say, heeding your mom’s advice is always a good thing to do in life. A gift may be small, but if you give it with the best of intent, it is a gift as big as anything.?