Since 1958 Singapore American • December 2015
AM ERICAN AS S O CIATION O F S INGAP O RE December 2015
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MCI (P) 185/03/2015
The Greatest Gift: Time By Richard Hartung
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his issue is all about Giving: Giving Gifts, Giving Parties, Giving from the Heart and more. But what do people really want? According to experts from Toys “R” Us who track trends around the globe, the most popular gifts for children this Christmas will be toys inspired by new hit movies such Jurassic World and Dinotrux, toys that inspire interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), cooking gadgets and play pets that can interact with children. Hamley’s in the UK predicts that the top toys will include Interactive Thunderbirds Tracy Island, Skate and Sing Elsa, i-Que Intelligent Robot and Little Live Pets Clever Keet. Star Wars products are also going to be huge. For adults, The Telegraph predicts that top picks will include Spiralizers, Nutribullets, Fitbit Flexes and Bosch Tassimo coffee machines. While the children and adults who receive presents such as these will surely appreciate them, not too long afterwards they may well ask, “Is that all there is?” Even more than fancy gadgets and toys, the present many people are really looking for during the holidays
is a more long-lasting and precious gift that is all too rare these days: the gift of time. As author Dave Willis put it, “Your family needs more of your presence, not more of your presents. Your time is the most valuable gift you can give to your loved ones.” Giving time to friends is equally meaningful. As Kara Tippetts and Jill Buteyn wrote in Just Show Up, “Showing up for another, extending yourself for another, is always costly. Why do it? One of the most important reasons is community. Another way to say that is ‘friends’.” While anecdotes may sound great, a myriad of research has also shown the importance of people spending time with each other, from toddlers to teens and even grandparents. As just one example, Penn State Professor Susan McHale found that the time teens share with their parents “has important implications for adolescents’ psychological and social adjustment.” The reason that time is so important, evangelist Rick Warren wrote, is that, “Time is your most precious gift because you only have a set amount of it. When you give someone your time, you are giving
them a portion of your life that you’ll never get back. That is why the greatest gift you can give someone is your time.” So what would really be the best gift of all during the holiday season? For young children, it can be as simple as a promise to read stories together every day and go to a park every week next year. For teens, it can be a commitment to eat dinner together or drive them to their activities every week. For parents, date nights or weekends away matter (if President Obama can make the time, so can we). And for grandparents as well as friends, a phone call once a week or more is a treat. Gifts like these cost virtually nothing, yet mean the world to our families and friends. After those Singing Elsas and Fitbits and Clever Keets fade away, fond memories of those times together will be what truly matter. Photo by Doug Butchy, Dominic Alves Richard Hartung is a consultant on payments strategy with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, primarily in Asia and he is a freelance writer. He volunteers with the Metropolitan YMCA, the Jane Goodall Institute and other organizations.
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