WRAPPED WITH MEANING

How the value of gifts shapes our friendships

- By Chandri Peris

The month of December is deemed the 'season to be jolly' and many of us go out of our way to spread goodwill and joy by giving gifts to each other as a sign of appreciation and friendship.

This month is also hugely significant in that it wraps up an year, giving an opportune moment to anyone and everyone to consciously (or even subconsciously) do their very best to start anew. We do this by releasing ourselves from all that has passed. Many people intend to start the new year on a clean slate. They set aside the year's difficulties, disappointments, achievements, and joys, allowing the entire chapter to recede into a memory without holding on or regretting.

The lyrics from the old Scottish ditty 'Auld Lang Syne' which was reworded by Scotland's national poet Robert Burns in 1788, highlights the value of friendships and questions whether old acquaintances should be cast aside and forgotten much like the unpleasant memories of times gone by. It mentions the exchange of gifts not in an extravagant sense of buying something special for someone but as a simple act of sharing time and having a drink with each other in order to rekindle and maintain relationships. This is expressed in the lyrics which say, “we'll take a cup of kindness yet.” The song ends with an agreement settled by the age-old custom of a handshake cementing the bond of friendship. The words “and there’s a hand, my trusty friend and give us a hand of yours” signifies the continuance of goodwill. The use of this wonderful song at the ending of an year and the dawning of another, is forever associated with groups of friends who celebrate a new start with the hope that they will be just as united and loyal at the same time next year.