The festive season is a time for giving and receiving. It’s such fun to give as well as receive gifts. As the giver, you get to see the smile on the receiver’s face and when we receive a gift, especially one that is unexpected, it’s such a wonderful feeling to open the gift.
I am sure that all of you have received meaningful gifts, that is to say gifts which are particularly memorable and appreciated over the years. A meaningful gift can be either tangible or intangible and it doesn’t even have to be an expensive item but means a lot to you. It could be the gift of friendship, perhaps you made a new friend during a festive season.
This festive season, SK-II has given the iconic Facial Treatment Essence a stunning new look with a meaningful series of limited edition designs that celebrate the power of personal transformation and the will to change your destiny. SK-II has created artistic ‘Wings of Change’ bottles of the iconic beauty essence for the Christmas and holiday season. You can view these limited edition bottles as well as SK-II Festive Sets at #changedestiny World – Festive Edition event that’s happening from Oct 5-11 at Centre Court, Mid Valley Megamall.
Thanks to SK-II, I have a set of SK-II Pitera Essence Set to give away here (containing the iconic Facial Treatment Essence 75ml, Facial Treatment Clear Lotion 30ml and a piece of Facial Treatment Mask) worth RM229. Now it’s not every day or every month that I can give away SK-II products so I hope you will take the opportunity to participate.
If you’d like to participate, please leave a comment to this question :-
What’s the MOST meaningful gift you have ever received? Tell me who it was from and why it was so meaningful to you.
Terms and conditions of this Giveaway:-
1. Giveaway exclusively for those who have ‘liked’ Juniper’s Journal’s Facebook page & with Malaysian addresses only.
2. Giveaway ends Friday 9th October 2015. .
3. Winner will be contacted via email once result is announced in this same post. Please respond within twenty four (24) hours otherwise another winner will be selected.
Now I am going to tell you what my most meaningful gift was……
Yup, it’s a hardcover book given to me by my father many decades ago. I believe it was a birthday present which coincides with the festive season. You may find this hard to believe but this book is more than 3 decades old. It’s very well preserved as I have always been very careful in handling all my books. I was never one to scrawl or scribble on my books and all the book I’ve ever owned are in pristine condition despite their age. But why is this book in particular so meaningful?
When my father gave me this book, I was barely out of primary school. This book opened my eyes to a variety of subjects from simple cooking (I learned how to make bread dipped in egg) to magic tricks and party games. I went through this book over and over again. It may be a bit hard for kids nowadays to appreciate a book like this when all they have to do is search for any information on the Internet but really there is nothing quite like leafing through a book and feeling the pages under your fingers. This book had everything a kid those days could possibly need – stories, games, puzzles, tricks and jokes. It kept me entertained for hours, days and even months. Thanks to this Superbook, I wanted to learn more, gain more knowledge about everything and I was never bored because the pages were filled with things I could do like crafts and puzzles. This book did bring meaning to my life and I am glad I have kept it till today.
Updated 10th October 2015
The response to this Giveaway is overwhelming for me and I would like to thank each and every single one of you for your very meaningful comments. I have been reading all the comments over and over again because I just couldn’t decide on one winner but a hard decision has to be made nevertheless and the winner is:-
Mayber
My most meaningful gift is my French dolly that my father gave me at the age of 4. He was stationed is Paris for 2 years throughout my early childhood. He found this 1 almost life size dolly as a 4 year old from a quaint little shop. The thing that was most ingrained in my mind about the French dolly is the polka dot red dress that she wore. The most amazing thing is I have the almost same exact dress as the dolly bought from Germany. Many memories were taken with that doll making it my best 3 months in Germany staying with my parents. I almost wailed when the thought of losing that doll during the flight back to Malaysia. The air stewardess misplaced my precious dolly at the top compartment. I brought it everywhere I went for the next 5 years. Now it is still kept in pristine condition for my children.
I am still keeping that dolly to my heart after 30 years. The polka dot red dress I had and the dolly that I treasured will slowly become an heirloom in my own family.
The MOST meaningful gift I have ever received is a hand-sewn tote bag from my mom. It is very meaningful because she made it all by herself, HAND-made, not even using sewing machine, and all the while her eyesight isn’t good at all. What amazed me was that she secretly sew it, without me knowing, despite I’m home almost everyday. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. Perhaps that was the reason why she kept encouraging me to go out and meet my friends. She gave it to me during my birthday last year, and I was so touched! The size is just perfect and the craftsmanship is just flawless. It’s a perfect bag for me to throw in all my “junks”, my humongous water bottle, my ipad, my cosmetic pouch…… The broad shoulder straps lessen the weight directly on the shoulders. So comfortable and functional. And the fabric she chose was my favourite bright big floral prints on dark background. What can I say, mom knows best. Until now, the “MOMMY BRAND” custom-made tote bag is still my favourite and most used bag, and it still looking good! 🙂
The most meaningful and precious gift I have ever got is from my 5 year old.
One day he suddenly came up to me and asked mamma how do u spell love I told him the spelling and he ran back in the other room, after 2-3 mins he came out with a note which said I love you with a picture of me and him holding hands and it is kept safely in my cupboard
Doesn’t get better!!
One of the most meaningful gifts I ever received was a Dr. Seuss book which my Dad bought me, it was the Cat in The Hat. I don’t have it anymore as I donated all my childhood storybooks and encyclopaedias to my school library several years ago.
What attracted me to the book was the illustrations, especially the cat which was wearing a hat. They were so all so vivid and of course, the name of the author, Dr. Seuss, which was a rather unusual name. I remember asking myself at the time, who was this Dr. Seuss? Was he even a real person? Well, whoever he was, he definitely captured the imagination of millions of children around the world!
One of the most meaningful gifts that I have ever received is a Playhouse which my parents bought for me when I was 5 years old. It was my first year studying in a kindergarten and I got the 1st place in my cohort, so my parents rewarded me with the Playhouse. It is a pink coloured Playhouse with the theme of “Fun Fair”. The Playhouse is as huge as two drawing blocks and I was so fascinated with this little world! There are different facilities in the Playhouse including roller coaster, train in a tunnel, Merry Go Round, Ferris Wheel, spinning cups and water slide, imagine the excitement in a 5 years old kid for being able to own this little world by herself! The Playhouse came with 12 little dolls and I will let them to play the facilities together. I still keep the Playhouse now and it’s in its perfect conditions – I take good care of my toys because they’re so precious to me. This gift is very meaningful to me because I wanted to own the Playhouse very much when I was young, I will drop by the shelf where its box was placed at and looked at it for a long long time. Finally, I managed to bring it home! My siblings and I spent so much time playing the mini dolls in the Playhouse together, that is the best memory I have in my life.
The most meaningful gift I’ve ever gotten is the first mechanical pencil my mother bought me.I was so ecstatic as this was still a new thing when I was in primary school.It would remind me of my mother everytime I used it.The pencil actually made me excited when I use to write about anything really.It was a small gift but the memory if it is an everlasting one 🙂
Being a mom, after 12years of marriage and with PCOS, is the most meaningful gift god had given me. Maybe I’ve been a good girl after all that God decided to give me the most precious gift ever OR I wasn’t good enough as per His standard that He had to sent someone to teach me along the way. The gift came without operating instruction, the 1st thing I have to let go is my me time. Then my skincare time, my enjoying shower or even poo time (sorry I mention “p” word here XD). Last but not least my tv time, it’s been there collecting dust since the last episode of Zhen Huan Zhuan on NTV7. Caring for that gift taught me to be more patient, more careful with my words and actions because she is my mirror. Even though that gift had now grow to give me constant high blood pressure, endless tired body and no rest day nor pay day, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I’m still enjoying my gift now, every second everyday. Thank you Lord.
On a side note, that book your father gave you is truly treasure! I couldn’t find any book for my kid from that large kids section at Kinokuniya. Maybe I don’t know how to search or maybe i went to the wrong place.
I had received a gift when I was 6 years old but had never realise or take any pride in it until recently. Truly, I had not even know such gift will be able to change my life because it is nothing expensive nor something that I can show off because many have it. It was given by my kindergarden teacher and I truly thanked her from the bottom of my heart. With it, I was able to access the knowledge that will otherwise be hidden from me, read labels for my mum, translate it to Chinese dialects and communicate with others in English. It may not be something that others find pride in it but it was a life changer as I came from a family who find English a foreign language.
It was a life changer to be able to read, write and speak in that language. It is a gift that I carried with me all the time, will not disappear and I find pride to share it with others.
I am still learning and hope to get better in using the gift =).
The most meaningful gift that I got was this ancestral gold necklace I got from my mom on my wedding, it was passed on to her by her mom and my grandmother got it from her mom. It’s very close to my heart as it has a lot of sentiments attached to it…
The most meaningful gift that I got is a colouring book from my aunt. I was 6 years old back then and this colouring book is my birthday present. I never know that drawing and colouring are so fascinating until I received the colouring book with intricate and detailed designs. I fell in love with drawing since then, all thanks to my aunt! I wouldn’t be able to discover my talent in drawing without the birthday present from her!
On my 35th bday my wife got 35 gifts for me individually wrapped…some big some small some fun some crazy, but the best part was opening them all and the fact that she took the time to think up 35 things to fit me.
The whole thought that went into all that was very touching and that’s why was one of the most meaningful gift or should I say gifts.
On my 13th birthday, I received a watch from my mum. It was just a Rm10 watch but I know the fact that she took the time to choose it for me and wake up early to buy it from the vendor makes it very important to me. We do not celebrate birthday and the fact she bought me a gift shows me how important I am to her. Unfortunately, I lost the watch on one of the trip from the bus to the hostels and I couldn’t find it even going back the same place for few hours upset me. After that, I kind of ‘mourn’ after the gift as it has been 10 years I had not been wearing any watch because of it.
A lesson learned from it, you can never get back something after you lose it even if it is something small.
I received a pearl necklace from my grandma and that’s a very meaningful gift to me. My grandma was not rich and that can be her only precious jewelry. She gave the pretty necklace to me when she was sick and old 🙁 She left us 4 years ago and I really cherish the pearl necklace from her very much.
Thank you for the awesome giveaways , Junipers ^^
Well, my most meaningful and memorable gift ever was the year my mom and grandmother wrote out our favorite family recipes and presented them to me in a recipe box. Now in this day of technology, I cherish pulling out a recipe for a meal and seeing my loved one’s handwriting leading the way.
The MOST meaningful gift I have ever received was when I turned to 30 a few months ago, my best friend hand-made a little pouch and inside put 30 different decorated small photos that we photo shoot together, behind wrote something great about me or a time we shared together. It made me cry. It was so thoughtful and so sweet and personable.
Thanks Junipers and good luck to everyone.
The most meaningful gift I have ever received is birthday card from my university friends. We went through bitter and sweet in these few years and we share precious memories together. It is hard to say goodbye but we have to. Life goes on. Their blessings inside the birthday card made me touched and reminded me of many memories of us together. I will keep this card nicely and hopefully we can get in touch always. University life is one of the most important part of my life. Through this period, I learnt and grew up and they participated in it. Thanks my friends for the meaningful card! 🙂
A birthday cake!
It seems not special cause most people get one every year but there is that awkward time (college years) when mom and dad aren’t around and you would have to buy one for your self if you wanted it. So the story is… My 21st birthday I go out to dinner at McDonald’s. Then I went to a awesome bar/club down the street. I yelled at my BFF on the phone for her not coming it was a big deal. My feeling was very down and unhappy. When I got home (she dated my roommate), there was a huge barbie birthday cake for me in the fridge. I felt like such a jerk but it meant so much. I hugged my friend very tight and cried on her. It was my most meaningful gift and moment that I have ever received. I want to mention her name here – Yap Hui Nee, you are my BFF forever. 🙂
My MOST meaningful and precious gift is a music box from my father that I had been wanted for a very long time. It is a surprise present from him during my standard two, I did very good for my final examination. It is just a very simple music box with a cute little couple figuring that will be kissing each other every time we turn the music box on. The music box still in very good condition because I really cherish this present. Seriously misses my parents.. <3
To me, the most meaningful gift that I have ever received was a blanket, that my grandmother made for me. I know that dedication and love were put in every stitch. I can just imagine my old lady, with her sewing machine & it brings me to tears, because besides getting ipods and laptops and electronic things, we forget, the true meaning of gift-giving. This blanket, is a reminder, of my grandmother, because, me and her are so close, although she was passed away… The blanket is like her hugs that mean much more to me than a hand-held or a cell phone. She made it especially for me, each stitch made especially to hug me when I feel alone, without her. But honestly, some may say, My Ipod, My Necklace, and mine may seem corny, but it is, what it is…
Most meaningful gift I had so far is a family portrait that me and my family captured last Chinese New Year. Is not that every CNY you get to gather all the family from all around for a great photo session with the elderly and younger generation. So I would say this gift is contributed by every single family who spare the time for this photo!
The most meaningful gift I received was a good luck amulet from Japan. Why I like it so much is because I had a very bad month and things were turning for the worst especially for my job. Surprisingly after receiving the amulet from a dear friend, things immediately took a drastic turn, everything I did was praised and in the end I was even offered to take over.a new task! The amulet was really a life saver, as believe it really did bring me luck!