Question

Give a vivid description of how E.V. Lucas views the pleasure of giving and receiving presents in his essay ‘Unbirthday and other presents’.

Answer 1

Hint: E.V. Lucas’s The Unbirthday Gift is an essay written in the lighter note. The essay says that unbirthday gifts are better than the regular gifts.

Complete step by step answer:
Presents or gifts are something that are loved by all people be it of any age. People love getting gifts and there are certain occasions when people give gifts i.e. birthdays, wedding and festivals.
Unbirthday presents are those presents that are given to a person when he/she does not have a birthday on that day. Unbirthday presents are the nicest and different from normal birthday gifts, they require thoughts and affection. They are unexpected gifts and can happily surprise anyone, uplifting anybody’s spirits.
In an unbirthday present, the sentimental or emotional value is of the prime focus. The pleasure of giving and receiving presents from the feeling of pleasure and surprise is the best feeling that one’s get.
Lucas asserts that there are two prime reasons for giving unbirthday presents:
1: As a token of friendship
2: To rejoice in a recent experience.
Presents are not compulsory or mandatory to be given as birthday presents only. Some presents need a lot of imagination and thoughtfulness. Through a humorous account, E.V. Lucas explains the importance of the presents. According to him, when people buy presents for someone's birthday or anniversary, then they have to go through a series of contemplative sprees in the market. Those presents are bought according to the choice of the receiver.
Even if there is a great feeling of connecting between the giver and the receiver of the present yet it becomes too mechanical. They are more like a duty that is mandatory to perform, but the unbirthday presents are absolutely spontaneous, because they are given centric i.e., it depends on what the giver likes to buy.
E.V. Lucas explains that one must not give away any present which he/she does not want to keep for themselves. The pleasure of giving presents originates from a desire to give surprise and happiness. They generate one's finest feelings.

Note:
Thus, unbirthday presents are the best because they are a mark of a person's true emotions and are neither compulsory nor obligatory. Therefore, the pleasure of giving and receiving presents are such that it imparts surprise and happiness in everyone's life.