In our family it is customary to not only buy each other birthday gifts, but to also get a gift for ourselves on our birthdays. Every year, we buy ourselves something that might be a bit too expensive or too glamorous for us to indulge in otherwise.

My sister’s birthday was a couple of days ago and she has decided to purchase a unique present for herself. She is very artsy and absolutely loves drawing animals and posting them on the internet, but scanning the drawing into the computer and then having to color it in another program was becoming a real chore for her. So she thought of a number of great gift ideas for herself that might make posting her art online a bit easier.

First, she considered getting a better scanner for herself as ours is old and often malfunctions. But in all honestly, a new scanner will not really speed up the process of sketching by hand, scanning, and coloring using the mouse.

But then she had a better idea – a graphics tablet. It was perfect – instead of drawing by hand and scanning into the computer, she could draw by hand straight into the program she uses to color her pieces! After calculating how much she could afford to spend, she decided on a Bamboo Fun tablet by a company called Wacom.

She is in the computer room as we speak, drawing with her tablet. Getting herself this present, she says, is the best thing she’s ever done for herself. And indeed, indulging in a unique gift for oneself can really be a great idea and a special occasion can be an excellent excuse to do so.

Buying yourself a gift on your birthday is a great thing to consider because you know what you want. Whether or not the gift is practical or even useful doesn’t matter – if it will make you happy, it is worth buying, whether it be a home office phone system or your very own electronic drum kit. In fact, I think that the country should have a national self-giving holiday. Happiness certainly should not be centered on spending money, but sometimes indulging in ourselves really can help us find joy.

Liza S.