A Good Gift Guide
It’s that time of year again, and once again we are being constantly bombarded with messages to buy, buy, buy. We are being shown that love equates to possessions and urged to spend and spend.
Don’t fall for it. Christmas is about people, love, celebration. It’s about escaping from your family to hug your horse. It’s about time and compassion. It’s about crisp winter hacks and watching your breath in the morning. It’s about short days and looking forward to spring. It’s about muddy gateways and hot drinks. Christmas isn’t about how much you spend, you how many presents you give or receive.
If you want to give people presents, and you can afford to (you have a horse so you probably can’t!) then go ahead – but try and choose something thoughtful, or useful, not another horse embellished piece of plastic. So, try and buy from a small business, not a multi-national, so that your money is putting sprouts on the table, not adding value to a millionaire’s portfolio.
Buy experiences, or learning, rather than stuff; courses or memberships, so that you can help people to learn a new skill, to experience something different. I, personally, really enjoy memberships where I receive magazines through the year, as I both love reading, and like being reminded of that person each time I receive the magazine. (I recommend Intelligent Horsemanship membership – only £25 for the year – regular magazines and great extras!)
Or charity – there are simply hundreds to choose from all trying to help people or horses. We support the RDA through our charity massage course in association with Sue Palmer aka The Horse Physio and the profit from this course goes to paying for a boy to ride with the RDA each week.
Or why not give your friends a “get out of jail free” card, such as: “This entitles the bearer to one clean mucked out stable.” Or “One set of shoes” or “I’ll get your horse in when it’s raining for you.”
There are endless small (in price not thought) ways that you can give your friends and family presents this Christmas. Don’t be sucked into over-shopping, remember your presence is more important than your present.
Give a hug, give time, give food, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Lizzie Hopkinson is a partner at Ethical Horse Products
Image credit: Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
0 Comments
