"Do you have a lot of Xmas presents to buy?"

"I tell you what. I used to buy presents for everybody, and I never got anything in return, year after year. But this year, I have to think of myself, think of number one”


Derek was taking a cigarette break outside when I came across him. He was happy to be photographed and I got chatting to him about what he was doing today.

As he told me about his altruistic present giving, he got slightly agitated, although he was a calm, softly spoken individual. From the sounds of it, he was used to giving presents but not receiving any himself. He told me he was currently unemployed and had reached a point where he couldn’t afford to buy gifts for everyone in his family.

I could understand his predicament. How much could his kind nature be pushed? I thought there was probably a lot more to the story than what he told me, but I didn’t dwell on it further. It did get me thinking about the whole giving and receiving aspect of gifts, and I came across a great quote which sums it up best:

“The practice of giving and receiving gifts is so universal it is part of what it means to be human. In virtually every culture, gifts and the events at which they are exchanged are a crucial part of the essential process of creating and maintaining social relationships …” - Terry Y. LeVine


Humans of Leeds