Saturday, December 17, 2011

Quid pro quo


chocolate cookies!

It's one week until Christmas and today's sermon is about gift giving.

Grandma Coco is a very generous soul. She loves to share….her talents and her time. She likes to find the perfect gift for the perfect recipient.

What she doesn’t like ….. and you know there’s a pretty long list…..but in this case what she doesn’t like is the Obligatory Gift. She hates, hates, hates having to worry about that whole quid pro quo thing.

Grandma Coco has always understood a gift to be what Wikipedia defines as "the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return". A free-will offering.

Occasionally, Grandma Coco has the inspiration to give someone something but then begins to worry that this will set up a feeling of obligation for the recipient. Definitely not cool and definitely not Grandma Coco's intent. This is the quid pro quo aspect to which we referred earlier.

Wikipedia defines quid pro quo as a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. If you give a gift with the expectation that you'll get something back in return, that's quid pro quo.

Sometimes the shoe's on the other foot. Some Christmases, when she knows a gift will be expected but she also knows she won't come up with a single good idea until, say, March, she ends up settling for something lame and uninspired like a gift card. (If you've bought Grandma Coco a gift card, just forget that last bit.)

Darn that obligatory gift!

What Grandma Coco would like everyone to know this holiday season is this: If you receive a gift from her, please just take it and run. Oh, you can say "Thanks", if you like. (We weren't raised by wolves, after all.) But, for heaven's sake, don't worry about getting her something in return. Just seeing your little eyes light up is pleasure enough for her.







4 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas, Grandma Coco. We wish you and your precious family a very Blessed holiday.
    Pat & Bill

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  2. I love to give un-expected gifts. At times I will see a fabric or a yarn that just begs to be made into something for a friend or acquaintance. I certainly don't expect anything in return. I just want to see the joy on their face. That's part of the reason why I decided on the spur of the moment to have a give away on my blog today. I won't get to see the recipients face, but that's ok.

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  3. I am big on unexpected gifts too - the thought and surprise are the gifts.
    Your cookies are simply stunning, I like how the colours of the icing stand out on those chocolate cookies. And that picot edging - my, what a steady hand you have. Simply gorgeous work, Grandma CoCo!

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  4. Unexpected gifts are truly gifts from the heart.
    Your cookies are wonderful. I love how you did the ribbons around each of the gifts.

    ReplyDelete

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