I am curious and charmed by the rituals and choices of gift-giving, particularly when done with kindness and generosity rather than from obligation. Here Rory Stewart lists the humble but thoughtful gifts given to him on his walk across Afghanistan, for his family in faraway Scotland.

‘They gave me presents for my family: a sachet of shampoo, a packet of cream biscuits and some henna with which to decorate my mother’s hands. I put them in my pack.’

Source: Rory Stewart, The Places in Between (London: Picador, 2014), p. 336

Photo credit: Free-Photos at pixabay