Happiness in a Box
The most memorable thing I have received by mail would be my Christmas present from my friend who lives far away. In a perfectly packed Timberland shoe box, there were many parts to this gift. The first thing that caught my eye was the bright blue turquoise box containing limited edition stuffed animals that I collect. My friend had just spent a semester studying abroad in Madrid and during that time, he explored to several cities in Europe with his friends. When he went to Paris and England, he had made time to visit the pop-up stores and bought 4 Jellycats for me. I was beyond happy to hear that I was able to receive so many new additions to my collection but even more happy to know that he cared and valued my interests.
Upon opening the shoe box, I found the 3 Jellycats that I expected to get but there were also so many other little things that I had no idea about. This was a surprise hidden in a surprise. The thought of adding other little things that he thought I would enjoy made me kind of emotional while I unveiled each item from the box. I think this was the first time I have ever gotten emotional opening a gift. It had been a long time since I was a kid that I was so excited about toys in a box and it kind of revealed the little kid in me.
I have been obsessed with the English toy brand, Jellycat, for a couple of years now and I started a collection for them back in 2022 when I picked out a light blue octopus in the gift shop of our Cancun resort. Ever since then, my collection has grew to all kinds of animals and foods as stuffed animals. There is something about a Jellycat that makes them recognizable and appealing to my eyes. I can certainly admit that their marketing strategy is clever and the company advertises the products makes it easy to over-consume and constantly want to buy more. Compared to the stuffed animals that I have had as a kid growing up, Jellycats are made with higher quality fabrics and most of them are weighted in a way that they sit up in the right position when propped up.
I personally love the act of gift-giving. Sometimes, I find myself more excited to watch them open my gift than they are to receive it. I always spend a lot of time and effort to find everyone their perfect gift and it brings to so much joy to see the surprise on their faces when my gift turned out to be exactly what they hoped for. My love language for people is more action-based than words of affirmation and I think that goes the same way for receiving actions from other people. It’s usually the small details that make the biggest differences for me. When I notice my friends and my family taking care of tasks for me the I don’t necessarily love to do, it really touches my heart to think that they care. Before opening this gift, I was already excited but after knowing the efforts that went behind it brought me more joy than the gift itself.
A major part of gift-giving in my opinion is really the thought behind it. I know it can sound cheesy to say that “it’s the thought that counts,” but I truly do believe in that and I experienced it myself in this scenario. After learning how much time and effort went into searching over toy stores in London this specific Jellycat I wanted in London, I had already been so touched, but then seeing all the other little things contained in the box, it surpassed all of my expectations. I think the factor that mattered the most for me was the thought. To me, it feels almost childish and sometimes embarrassing of the fact that these stuffed animals are what I want to collect but to know that he accepts me for who I am but also supports my small interests is really heartwarming.
I have been obsessed with the English toy brand, Jellycat, for a couple of years now and I started a collection for them back in 2022 when I picked out a light blue octopus in the gift shop of our Cancun resort. Ever since then, my collection has grew to all kinds of animals and foods as stuffed animals. There is something about a Jellycat that makes them recognizable and appealing to my eyes. I can certainly admit that their marketing strategy is clever and the company advertises the products makes it easy to over-consume and constantly want to buy more. Compared to the stuffed animals that I have had as a kid growing up, Jellycats are made with higher quality fabrics and most of them are weighted in a way that they sit up in the right position when propped up.
I personally love the act of gift-giving. Sometimes, I find myself more excited to watch them open my gift than they are to receive it. I always spend a lot of time and effort to find everyone their perfect gift and it brings to so much joy to see the surprise on their faces when my gift turned out to be exactly what they hoped for. My love language for people is more action-based than words of affirmation and I think that goes the same way for receiving actions from other people. It’s usually the small details that make the biggest differences for me. When I notice my friends and my family taking care of tasks for me the I don’t necessarily love to do, it really touches my heart to think that they care. Before opening this gift, I was already excited but after knowing the efforts that went behind it brought me more joy than the gift itself.
A major part of gift-giving in my opinion is really the thought behind it. I know it can sound cheesy to say that “it’s the thought that counts,” but I truly do believe in that and I experienced it myself in this scenario. After learning how much time and effort went into searching over toy stores in London this specific Jellycat I wanted in London, I had already been so touched, but then seeing all the other little things contained in the box, it surpassed all of my expectations. I think the factor that mattered the most for me was the thought. To me, it feels almost childish and sometimes embarrassing of the fact that these stuffed animals are what I want to collect but to know that he accepts me for who I am but also supports my small interests is really heartwarming.
Question for readers:
I'm unsure about if this essay is like cohesive enough? Is it straying from the topic?
Hey Helen, Nice post! I liked the structure of the essay as it had an unobstructive flow, and I was able to connect with the content within. As for suggestions, you mention your love of gift-giving. I think a way you can expand on that topic is by mentioning ways you have given for other people. You talk about gift-giving as the recipient and acknowledge its importance. Is there a specific moment you could dive into where you were the gift-giver and how it made you feel from that perspective? You also have a large paragraph talking about Jellycats, so you could maybe condense that section a little and incorporate more on the giver side of gift-giving. I think that will help tie the essay together and feel more on topic. Overall, solid work so far!
ReplyDeleteGreat essay Helen! I think you've especially done a great job of allowing the reader to get to know a side of you that you treasure, and that really pulls off the personal essay element of relating to or feeling closer to the author. Your essay is also a great answer to the question prompt, and your character bleeds through the whole essay as well (which is great)! If anything, I would say that you could maybe ease into the beginning a little more slowly? Maybe expanding a little more on what this friend means to you, and the context of your receiving this Christmas gift? Otherwise, I think the rest of the essay looks great! Awesome job!
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