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“Blessed is the listener who inherits the story.”-unknown
I remember my 10th birthday when my Aunt Val gave me a stuffed cat. I remember looking at the cat and silently thinking, “this is the fugliest feline I have ever seen.” Then my Aunt Val starts telling me a story. She tells me the reason she bought this stuffed critter was because it looked just like a similar stuffed cat that she had possessed as a child. She ended her story by saying that she hoped my new kitty gift would bring her as much comfort as her old cat did when she was my age.
Awww…shucks.
Maybe that’s why I still have that goofy cat.
Gifts take on a whole new meaning, whole new importance when paired with a story. You don’t need to weave an inter-twangled-darn-near-Best-Seller story. It can be as simple as a thought that was evoked when you saw the gift, or a memory that was “re-remembered” when you laid eyes on the gift for the first time.
The idea is to create an attachment. A baseline. A little “back story” that sweetens the whole gift giving process.
Now, I’m not saying giving someone 6 Christmas fruitcakes and pair it with a story of how you used for weight in your vehicle in the winter. A crappy gift is still a crappy gift even if it does have an entertaining story to go with it. Gift-giving with a story simply takes it to the next level and makes the gift go from ordinary, to extraordinary.
The hoodie becomes more memorable when paired with the story of the funky little pub it came from. The baby onesie becomes precious when paired with a story about the funny slogan on the front reminded the giver of when they were a munchkin.
Blessed is the listener who inherits the story…?
Blessed is the gift receiver who inherits the story.
