George
I've just stepped off a plane and experienced the beautiful sensation of the warmth of a foreign country's heat hitting my face. Now I just need to collect my case, before boarding an airconditioned coach to my accommodation. Total bliss. Looking around from the coach there is nothing but pure blue sky stretching for miles; a far better sight than the grey rainy clouds of Britain. Arriving at the accommodation there are fresh sheets on the bed, crisp and warm as though they have never been used before. There is a TV and a minibar in the room, both of which I proceed to use as I change out of my sweaty clothes and into my swimsuit. Finally, I hit the pool and dip into the glistening water, while a waiter brings a chilled glass of rose to my sunlounger. This truly is the life. Suddenly a thought pops into my head, 'What magent did Auntie Tessa request again'; followed by 'Is it shot glasses my brother Clive collects,' and 'Where can I get one of those?' My question today of course is, should we be bringing people gifts back from holiday?
To bring a gift back for friends or family is something I was encouraged to do in childhood, with the thinking being that it showed people that whilst you were away relaxing you were thinking of them. Which is a nice idea in theory. However, we have a couple of flaws with this, the first of which is how much technology has improved in the past twenty years. When I was a kid on holiday you were lucky if there was a computer in your resort with the internet, let alone having the modern-day luxury of internet on your mobile. This meant that bringing a gift back was the only way someone would know that you had been thinking about them whilst on holiday. But now in the modern day can easily text, send a meme or share a picture. This makes the idea of showing you are thinking of them by buying a gift redundant. The second is normally people want to collect things from different countries like Auntie Carol who needs a magnet from everywhere. Firstly, I've never understood why you would want something from somewhere you haven't been as it holds no memory to you, secondly, you can probably order it online now so why do I need to pay through the nose for it and let it take up space in my bag?
Bringing gifts back isn't all bad though, as we have all been away having a good time and seen something in particular and thought of a certain person in our lives and how much they would like said item; similar to what you do in everyday life. For example, when I was Hungry I saw a pizza cutter with a footballer on top and instantly thought of my brother as he loves both pizza and football. In situations like this, I think a gift is a great idea.
That leads us nicely to when gifts are a bad idea. As I started saying above when someone requests something specific or you are trying to relax and enjoy your time but instead are worrying about gifts, this is when they become bad. You have worked so hard for your holiday and your relaxation time so should be free of worries. You shouldn't have to be worrying about getting gifts for everyone in the world. Even worse you shouldn't be wasting specific holiday time finding items for people that they will have no attachment to.
I suppose to answer the question of whether or not to bring back a gift is simple really. Have you found something that someone in your life would enjoy and find useful or are you just buying it for the sake of it or because they need yet another collectable (side eye to Aunt Carol and her magnets)? If it's a genuine gift then go for it, but if it means going out of your way, and is causing you undue worry, then just relax and enjoy your holiday instead.
