by Daniel Creil

Created on: December 08, 2008

Christmas time is near and everyone around us looks happy and in a hurry to buy presents. Flashing lights inside windows of almost every household. But in one house, behind thick and dark curtains, a man is standing. He feels miserable at this period of the year. Life around him and happiness for upcoming event is like a sharp knife straight into his heart, filled with loneliness and darkness. It is like a poison that he can not avoid, but he can close his eyes and pretend not to see and hear anything. Most of the time he spends sleeping, he avoids any opportunity to start a conversation and a communication with people, he eats very few or does not eat at all. He is in a depression.

What can we do to make him feel better? If we want to give him a present: what would it be?

a. Sweets. If this person is a woman, then you should definitely buy her sweets. What would she do with new and expensive kitchen stove, if she rarely eats and probably will not use it? All we need to do is stimulate good feelings, and mountains of sweet candies and chocolate will do this work with an excellence!

b. Tickets. Going out in a society and becoming a small part of society is what this person really needs. If you know what artist or spectacle this person like, then you can combine two things at the same time: give one present that includes `like` and `need`. Be sure to buy 2 tickets, as he might prefer not to use this ticket, because going alone to theater is not a good thing to do for a person who suffers from depression and loneliness.

c. Clothes. White, colorful clothes with aroma of freshness: what else can be better present that this? A T-shirt with funny picture will remind him to smile every time he looks at this T-shirt or wears it. A jumper, a cowboy hat: let your imagination to figure it out what would best fit it!

d. Socks. Yes, socks. Lots of clean, white and warm sock. A bag filled with sock mountains is not only a great surprise, but also a useful present as well, as he will use this present all year long, every day.

e. A book. As a person in depression spends most of his time in the bed and at home, he will feel a duty to read a book that you gaved him as a present, right? So make sure you buy a book that is released in many episodes. After reading this book he might continue reading by buying the other books from the same series.

At the end I would like to remind you: don't treat a depressed person with over exaggerated attention and care- it will only make him feel worse. Treat normally, but just keep in mind to buy a present with under-lined motivation to help this person feel better and happier.

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