Real People On The Christmas Gift That Changed Their Lives

The festive season is a time for celebrating, coming together of friends and family mixed with unmonitored dessert eating and drinking. Do we need anything else? Oh, right - the presents. You want to make sure the gift you give, elicits sheer delight, not a tight-lipped fake smile. You want to let people know you love them, and the last thing you wish for is them to pass on your gift to someone else.

We asked people to reflect on the time they got meaningful gifts, ones that changed their life. And once you go through this list, trust us, you won't be spending your hard-earned money on plain ol' perfumes, socks or knick-knacks for your friends and family. You will be encouraged to gift something that feeds and rewards their soul. Here¡¯s what they had to say.

1. Gift a new learning.

"It was no secret that my marriage was falling apart. As one of the sweetest gestures, some friends of ours bought me and my husband golf lessons with a professional golf coach. Learning how to play, cheering for my husband and jumping up and down over every game won, made my husband and I realize that our love hadn't died. It just had to be reignited. And now we always push each other to check out new activities. My husband and I took a belly dancing class and had the best time ever." - Preeti Singh, 43, homemaker, Gurgaon.

"It was the summer of 2018 when my best-friend enrolled me for an Italian language class. I thought it'll be utterly useless but she picked me up and took me to the center. If not for myself, I decided to attend a few classes because I didn't want to let her down. 6 months later, I could speak fluent Italian. A couple of years later, I took a writing residency in Italy, met my Italian husband and have been in love, sipping wine and eating pasta, ever since." - Srishti Malik, 31, editor, Milan.

2. Ignite a new passion.

"I have always loved colors. But mind you, I can't draw a straight line. I have never taken a painting class. I probably can't name any great painter or painting. And it was the weirdest when my maasi gifted me a box of watercolors. Naturally, I kept them aside. On a Sunday rainy evening, I was home alone and I don't know what pushed me to pick up those watercolors and just start painting. One thing led to another and I am a painter now and my work is hanging in a lot of art galleries all over the country." - Aarti Singh, 29, painter, New Delhi.

3. Gift a cause.

"One of my best friends for my birthday last year decided to gift me a tree. And trust me, no expensive gift can ever make me feel that amount of gratitude. And today, I run an NGO that has been planting trees in most areas of the country. I am forever grateful to my best friend because, through a gift, I was allowed to make a small difference." - Prayas Aggarwal, 33, environmentalist, New Delhi.