The Value of Presents

I have never been good at buying presents for any occasions. I was always able to get away with creating them so I never bothered with actually buying them. 

So when my gym buddy asked for gift ideas for his girlfriend's 30th birthday, I couldn't actually help. He is taking her to London to watch a West End show that is meaningful to both of them but he was worried that it would fall short of her efforts during his own 30th. 

My life is really simpler, I told him. One of the best things about being married is that you share a single bank account. We have never bought each other presents because we already get to buy the things we want when we go on shopping spree (budget-permitting). 

My husband's 30th birthday present was a video collage of the first three decades of his life, that was everything he needed to feel special (I'm sure!). There was no surprise birthday bash, just a family dinner, because a cold February in England is an awful time to gather everyone. 

But on my birthday this year, I demanded a present in a cheeky 'What am I going to get on my birthday' which was met with a look that says 'You mean you're supposed to get a present?' but was responded with 'You can get anything you like' (secretly saying, 'as though you don't do that already').

It was a a camera necklace I wanted.On a shopping trip with a friend, I found a cute pair of camera earrings in a shop called Claire's but they didn't sell the any camera necklaces that would have been lovelier. So I said I wanted one but I want it to be a surprise and he had to buy me the perfect one. 

And he did! On my birthday, I opened a tiny box with the most beautiful red hand-made camera necklace (made in the UK, not China) and I was the most happiest wife in the world. I showed it off proudly to friends and family, a £5 worth of accessory, made precious by the time spent on reading reviews and searching for the perfect present that only a husband like mine can afford. 

I still believe that's the joy of receiving the perfect gift: getting something more than you have expected, not because of how much it is but because of how meaningful it is.