Falling in Love with Presents
Hello world! I am finally my own boss! I am a newly minted entrepreneur and your go-to gift consultant for any occasion or budget.
I was trying to remember the other day when my relationship with presents really started. I have this vivid memory from when I was little and my grandparents, who lived next door, sneakily walked into our living room and presented me with a gift box. I remember the thrill of opening it and discovering a typewriter inside. I wouldn’t have guessed that in my wildest dreams! The typewriter was plastic, creamy white with dark blue keys and knobs to navigate it. Oh, how I loved it! I am not sure if I got it for my birthday or just because, but I do know that my generous grandparents always gave the best gifts.
I grew up in Slovenia in the 1980’s, a part of Yugoslavia back then which functioned in a closed economy. This meant that importing and exporting didn’t happen and the country was self-sufficient. Well, ALL of the best toys and most delicious sweets made and sold abroad were completely out of reach for us and most of us have never even heard of them. For example, even though the Barbie doll was born in 1959, I only learned about it when I was 6 years old and my parents took me on a road trip to visit my aunt in Germany. She was the most glamorous person I knew and she took us shopping. Somehow, I persuaded my parents to splurge on my first (and only) Barbie. She wore a sparkling blue halterneck jumpsuit with white floor-length ‘fur’ coat and white boots. I was in heaven!
When I was a freshman in high school, a friend suggested we go Christmas shopping. I needed presents for my mom and dad, my sister, and grandparents. I could totally do this! Except I didn’t do a good job saving up my monthly allowance. I remember coming home from school one day in December, ate a quick lunch, grabbed my backpack, stood in front of my parents, and said: “I am going Christmas shopping. Can you please give me some money so I can buy you presents?” They burst out in giggles and went along with it. I got a bunch of gifts and wrapped them all by myself, enclosed handwritten personalized greetings for everyone, and put them under our tree. Looking back, the gifts were probably ridiculous, but my gift recipients’ happy faces trumped everything else. I couldn't wait to do it again!
Since my humble beginnings 25 years ago, I have grown quite a bit. I have had lots of interesting and fulfilling experiences, built wonderful friendships, given a great amount of gifts with love and purpose, and developed my very own business of gift consulting for people who struggle with gift ideas or simply don’t have the time, or who love surprising themselves and their loved ones.
Stay tuned,
M.