Two Perfect Gifts

Years ago, I received a gift from our team of a pair of ruby slippers covered in glistening sequins replicating those Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz. They were in my size, so while I could have worn them, I didn't because I felt they were better kept on display.

To some, it may have seemed strange, but for me, it typified a perfect gift because it wasn’t something I had even thought about or knew existed, but when I opened it, I knew it was what I always wanted.

It was a gift reflecting thought, care, imagination, and creativity because I had often suggested there are parallels between the story of the Wizard of Oz and our communities.

Just as Dorothy was looking to find the ruby slippers, so too do many of us see the fix for our communities being an external one. But, just as Dorothy learned she always had the power within her, the most successful communities also learn they have their own wizards and resources within.

Perfect doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Instead, it should be just right. It isn’t about the cost of an item but about finding or making a gift that meets a need, captures the imagination, touches the heart, fills a wish, or simply suits the receiver perfectly.

The second example of a perfect gift was also an emotional one. Rose, a member of a previous team, has this amazing creativity gene that she has channelled into extraordinary upcycling. A garage sale connoisseur, she finds old wedding dresses, christening gowns, jewelry, and fur coats, then hand stitches and morphs them into astounding Christmas stockings and two-foot-high Father Christmases. They are sentimental momentoes, or what she calls, Sentimentoes.

So, while cleaning out my sewing cupboard and finding trims, ribbon, and lace that had sat pretty much untouched for years, I knew Rose would put them to good use. I passed them on and didn’t think about it again.

Later that same year when I opened a Christmas gift from Rose, I found two gorgeous, fur-trimmed, red shantung silk Christmas stockings. It took me a moment before realizing she had positioned pieces of the lace I had given her into a lovely collage. Then she embellished them with seeded pearls, rhinestones, embroidery, and jewelled brooches.

But, what totally choked me up was the realization that I was also holding a lace collar once worn by my beloved Nana, the trim from my prom dress, lace given to me by a favourite aunt, and more. Items that had been shoved into a closet for years suddenly had a place and meaning as components of a truly beautiful piece of art.

Both gifts were perfect because they reflected much thought, care, imagination, and creativity. And, ultimately, isn’t that what a gift is supposed to be?

As Christmas draws near, may you and your loved ones be blessed in both giving and receiving both the tangible and intangible perfect gifts of the season. Happy holidays!