When I was a busy working mother of young children, my Mum would ask me what I wanted for Christmas and I would review my needs and all the stuff lying round the house and reply ” Mum, I just want TIME!”
My Mum has always been a really resourceful person, but somehow, that one escaped her.
Mum has always been difficult to give gifts too as well. She’s really green and just doesn’t believe in buying STUFF. I’ve given her acres of rain forest from the World Land Trust and school desks from Oxfam but I really wanted to give something for her.
So last year, hearing that Nordic Walking was great for 76 year olds with arthiticky knees, I fished around on the internet for a nordic walking instructor. Texts sent, eventually responded to, cheques sent, letters received, kids organised into giving her a walking pole each – you can imagine the effort made. And Mum hated it! ” Don’t do that to me again!” What did she get most satisfaction from? Someone painting her windows.
Mum wasn’t the only one where I had gift giving problems. My husband has got plenty of clothes and all the consumer goodies he needs so I gave him ski-ing lessons and lift passes. Not cheap but he loved the idea. Unfortunately, he could only use one of the vouchers as the weather wasn’t good enough on the days he could get up the mountain. So the gift voucher is still around, maybe expired. But he hurt his back and needed massages. Paid for those with cash.
So, for the really hard-to-give-to people, I invented giftedpeople.co.uk. It’s a flexible voucher – you give, they choose – so whoever gets the voucher is going to get something that they really want and can actually use. And I’ve recruited local traders who can give quality personal service – something that people will want to blether, blog or Bibo about. Something that will make them realise that they live in a community full of gifted people. And they are not just for “experience days” and treats but also for practical services (like ironing and handywomen) and learning new skills.
And, actually, I think I’ve found a way of giving time.
