I am sick of people running down “stuff” as gifts particularly at Christmas
time. The new age approach (or is that millennial approach) is to give
experiences rather than stuff. Well sorry, but experiences are soon forgotten, while “stuff” hangs around.
And the “forgotten”
bit becomes more relevant as you get older. I don’t remember my 70th
Birthday but each day I am greeted by these wonderful gifts from my Grandaughter which reside on my office desk.
The plastic bottle, incidentally, has little supermarket giveaways in side
which add movement and colour as you shake the bottle. Both the bottle and the
graphic are gifts that keep on giving.
And yes, there are life experiences that keep on giving as well, the first date with my
wife probably a standout. But there is a place for stuff. Stuff brings back
memories. Stuff decorates. Stuff reconnects with people and events. And stuff
can be very functional. One of my favourite gifts (after the plastic bottle) is
my watch – a mechanical masterpiece that will last for 100 years.
Maybe society is simply over reacting to “stuff”. Yes, we do need to watch how
much we consume. Yes, we do need to save the planet. But along the way,
functional, attractive, meaningful, or even whimsical “stuff” has its place. And
yes, some of that stuff can be donations to communities in need so they can buy
stuff designed to improve life.
Am I biased?
Let’s be honest – this is a retailer talking. Many of us rely on consumers
buying “stuff” to earn a living. I just think we need some kickback to a trend
that might be based more around laziness than a desire to give something
meaningful. My Grandaughter had this nailed.
By Greg
Smith