‘Tis the season of celebrations, of festivities and it goes without saying, of gifting too. But more often than not, giving and receiving feels like so much formality that we end up exchanging the same old super cheesy, stereotypical and boring gifts. Not even one of us puts any thought into what our friends would actually appreciate receiving on Diwali, myself included. But, then again, that’s largely because the struggle is real! And as much as I’m guilty of gifting these, here are a few super-clichéd gifts we all have received at least once on Diwali
1. A pack of dry fruits which is overly decorated with insignificant amounts of nuts in it. (Which you already know has been recycled from last year.)
Shame! Shame! Shame!
2. That crockery set given to you by your aunt, which was most probably given to her by someone else and to them by someone else, and to them…. you know the rest.
Did I mention it has nothing to do with Diwali?
3. That generic box of Kaju Katli that is nothing but diabetes on a platter which is doing the rounds in your neighbourhood since time immemorial.
It’s like a baton pass, only gift wrapped.
4. The namkeen hamper that has chips and munchies that apparently “screams” Diwali.
C’mon put those grey cells to some use.
Did I forget to mention these, too, don’t have anything to do with Diwali?
5. Bed linens with designs that are desi psychedelia on steroids which you don’t need in life.
But guess what you’re gonna get?
6. There is this one gift that you got a few years back that you slyly re-gifted to one of your friends whom you’re not particularly fond of. Five years later, another friend of yours proudly gifts you the SAME DAMN THING.
Well, that’s just karma. What goes around comes around.
7. That sasta sundar and not-so-tikau life advice, that every relative will give you.
They will inadvertently ask you questions like “Beta aage ka kya socha hai?”, “Board mein kitne marks aaye they tumhare?” and if you are reaching the age of 25 then “Shaadi kab kar rahe ho?” followed by which they will give you ‘invaluable life advice’ that will help you ace in life.
*runs for the hills and never comes back*
All of this boils down to one thing: Diwali comes once a year and you don’t want to give or receive disappointment in the form of gifts during that time. And while there are hundreds of thoughtful gifts available, there is nothing better than good ol’ cash. And if you want to appear “cool hip and savvy” doing that, then there are always services available like Blue Packets by Hike where you can easily send the desired amount of money to your loved ones, quickly and safely. See it’s that simple, no formality!
Here’s to a #NoFormality Happy Diwali. Cheers!
