My cousin Marianne, who is smarter than I am, sent me this quote in response to my earlier thoughts on gifts:
"Embedded in the context of exchange, objects become containers for the being of the donor, who freely gives up part of him or herself to another. If the gift is reciprocated, a definite tie is established between partners in the exchange. Again, this is not a metaphorical tie, for what has been exchanged is real energy: A small part of my being has been given to another for a small part of his or hers."
(Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Eugene Rochberg-Halton. The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self. Cambridge University Press, 1981, p. 37.)
It's a lovely thought - but maybe a wee bit too much pressure? No wonder I'm searching for perfect gifts - they have to contain a part of my being, after all.