Christmas is right round the corner, and most of us are busy buying decorations and thinking of ways to make our loved ones feel special. One of the most special bonds we have in our lives is the one with our father. He’s every girl’s first love and every boy’s first superhero.
He spends a lot of his valuable years teaching us to take on the challenges of his life. And while growing up, we have a lot of ways to show our love to him. Sometimes a hug does it, and sometimes nothing but the warmth we share. However, often, we reach a stage where due to time constraints or simply due to growing up, we stop professing our love to our father.
He might know what he is to you, but there is still a need to show it. So how do you make him feel special? There are ways to do it; let’s have a look at them:
1. Don’t Write Off Gifts
While it is easy to pick gifts for your father on Father’s Day, Christmas is a different story altogether. An average American is expected to spend $700 on gifts this year, totalling $465 billion. Everyone’s busy buying gifts, and so should you.
It is more about the holiday spirit and less about gifts during Christmas. But it doesn’t mean gifts are not an option. There are a number of gifts to choose from, but remember that it is more about how you present than what you present. Also, your gift does not have to be expensive. A nice customized ‘love you, dad’ cup will cost you only around $20, but if you want to get a notch above, you can get him a nice shirt for $50.
“The manner of giving is worth more than the gift.” – Pierre Corneille
Keep Corneille’s tip in mind and plan your gift in a grand manner. Firstly, shop keeping your father’s taste in mind. It can be anything from a ticket to his favorite show to a nice watch. But, make sure to buy what he loves. Also, when it’s on the eve of Christmas, you have to play the secret Santa. Wrap the box neatly and place is under the tree. Other than this, you may slide it cleverly under his bed, but make sure it is visible so he does find it.
2. Give a Daddy’s Day Out
If your old man loves to go out, take him out. There is no better gift than your time, so give some of it to your father. According to reports, today’s parents spend more time with their children than parents in the 1950’s, but a nice time around Christmas has no substitute. It doesn’t, however, have to be on Christmas itself, since you will both be occupied with other things. You may plan a day out with your dad over the Christmas weekend, or whenever the two of you are free.
A good movie, a nice dinner or a fishing session can be a good opportunity to connect with your father and make him feel special. If you two bond over something, such as soccer, take him out to watch a soccer match. And in case you think he would enjoy it more with someone else, such as a bunch of his friends or his partner, you can plan it that way. After all, it is all about giving your father what he wants the post.
Note: Make sure to communicate your plan in advance and be on the same page regarding date and time to avoid unavailability issues.
3. Acknowledge Your Love for Him
What better way to let someone know they’re special than to tell them that they are? In today’s digital era, most children dedicate posts to their parents on social media, which are rarely ever met with a good response if internet memes are to be believed.
If you do not want your father to troll you and to really feel special, make it a point to acknowledge the love in person, and in front of the whole family.
It can be done in a number of ways. If you aren’t the kind who likes to speak a lot, you may leave him a nice greeting card with a sweet message. If your dad is tech-savvy and on a social networking site, then leaving messages there would not be of any harm. However, try to make it more special. Facebook, for example, comes up with unique year-end and Christmas videos. You can also invest some time and create your own. If you’re good with video editing or graphics, you could create a digital scrapbook and let the whole know how much you love your father. Otherwise, a physical one or a nice throwback picture may do. But, make sure to post a nice message with it without going over the top.
Here it is. These three ways will make your father feel special. Christmas is all about sharing and spreading love, so make sure you make full use of it and let him know how special he is to you.
