In my family, we have a habit of gifting each other coupons for various activities. Often, it takes us years to actually do them. After I graduated from my Master’s in 2019, for example, my parents gave me a hot air balloon ride as a gift. Due to the pandemic, scheduling problems, and the weather having to be perfect, it took my dad and I until 2024 to do it—but the day was perfect, and the ride was magical.
Could I gripe about how long it took us? Sure. But I can also take another angle: That was five years of looking forward to an awesome event.
Last Christmas, my girlfriend gave me a Lego set. The Hogwarts castle from Harry Potter. We spent nine months building it. Slowly. One or two bags every other weekend or so. That means the present lasted nine months. How wonderful!
Actually, it still lasts. Now that it’s finished, the castle sits next to our TV. I’m looking at it right now. I enjoy this present every day, almost a full year after it was made.
When your partner gifts you a box of chocolates, don’t gobble them down in one go or hide them in a cupboard until they’re all dry. Eat them, but eat them one at a time. Every day, make one chocolate your post-dinner treat. Sit down when you do it. Turn off your TV. Smell it. Look at it. Close your eyes as it melts in your mouth. Take in the flavors. Let them linger. If the box has ten chocolates, that’s ten very special days waiting for you. Twenty if you skip every other day.
The best presents aren’t the most expensive or the kind we can consume immediately. They’re the ones where we can feel the giver’s intentions to the fullest. Savoring those intentions is up to us, just like enjoying the gift itself. Make your presents last.