Imagine if every day was like Christmas. Three people explain how being part of the gift economy has changed their lives.

For Meg Ulman, gift giving is not just at Christmas time — it is a way of life.

An advocate of the gift economy, she prefers to eschew an economy of exchange, preferring to largely live her life by giving.

She said whereas the monetary economy was all about how much you owned and earnt, the gift economy was about sharing and giving away.

"One is based on generosity and one is based on selfishness and competitiveness," Ms Ulman said.

A decade ago she and her partner, Patrick Jones, had full-time jobs, but now they are only 40 per cent reliant on the monetary economy, with the remaining portion made up of gifting, bartering and exchanging.

When pressed on how much of a percentage of their household economy was comprised of gifting alone, Ms Ulman said it was difficult to gauge because it was not centralised and monitored.

"When it's gifted you don't keep track of it — it just goes out and it just comes in," she said.

Teacher Emily Wilden volunteers at the Daylesford community garden, which has been established on reclaimed vacant land. ( ABC Central Victoria: Larissa Romensky )

One of the biggest gifts to the community of Daylesford given by Ms Ulman and Mr Jones are five guerrilla-style community gardens scattered throughout the town.

"It's just a gift, a free-for-all, for people that can't afford to grow their own organic food at home," Ms Ulman said.

The non-gated, non-membership gardens were created on reclaimed vacant blocks of land, and eventually supported by the council after some initial resistance.

While Mr Jones acts as the gardens co-ordinator, they are organised with community working bees.

As a keen gardener and cook, Ms Ulman holds free workshops for the local community in fermenting as part of her Culture Club, covering topics from sourdough-making to krauting.

"I love it. I call it community immunity because it's keeping us all healthy. It's building up our physical resilience but also our emotional resilience," she said.

"What I make out of it is so much more valuable than money."

The gift of knowledge

Teacher Peter O'Mara works privately with many students for free. ( ABC Central Victoria: Larissa Romensky )

School teacher and youth health worker Peter O'Mara defines the gift economy as a place of "small, kind gestures" between people without any idea of reciprocity.

"At its heart is kindness," he said.

While the teacher said his work was a combination of paid teaching work, volunteering and exchanging teaching for goods, a substantial part of his time was spent gifting.

"Anyone rings me with a concern, I'll meet with them, always," Mr O'Mara said.

"To be able to read and write is one of the most primary needs we have in society.

"If someone is struggling with that and I can help, I'll do that."

Visiting people at home, Mr O'Mara said he had learnt far more about teaching in people's homes than in the school — or "teaching factory" as he referred to it.

"I find out what the home can bring to the school. I'm learning all new things," he said.

Ultimately, he said gift giving was about relationships with people and how that act of kindness travelled.

"If I can do something here that allows someone to do another gesture here, it's really circularity," Mr O'Mara said.

"Inside every kindness is another kindness. Inside every gesture is a gesture."

The gift of food

Former flight attendant Sarah Hines loves giving the gift of food to new mothers as part of The Meal Tree. ( ABC Central Victoria: Larissa Romensky )

When Sarah Hines first became a mother, it was a struggle.

Her son took five weeks to regain his birth weight, during which time the new mother became stressed and anxious.

"I remember a couple of times sitting on the couch when my husband went to work in the morning and I'd still be sitting there when he came home," Ms Hines said.

But when someone offered her a meal tree, which she initially refused, her pride eventually yielded, and people from "all over" arrived with food and to do the dishes.

Now the former flight attendant is one of about 30 women involved in helping out new mothers around the Daylesford community with organising and cooking meals.

The Meal Tree, as it is known, is about cooking for others in need without any expectation of return, and with the amount of food prepared dependant on the mother's needs.

"I love to cook and I think it's a beautiful way to nurture people, especially new mums," Ms Hines said.

"It makes me feel good to give to people and it sets a really good example for my son, who is really generous and really kind and really considerate, so that is a really big reward."

Giving increases connectedness and generosity in others

Central to gift giving that all three talked about was the increased connection with people synonymous with acts of kindness.

Ms Hines said when she moved to the area, giving was good way to connect with her community.

"There is also that feeling of connectedness that you're part of something and you're actually helping that family and that child to thrive by doing something kind," she said.

Mr O'Mara described giving as playing a smaller role within a much larger sphere of life.

"It's about belonging, and giving gives me a sense of belonging to something outside of just me," he said.

"If you are a part of a cog of that wheel, then that's kind of enough."

Ms Ulman said one of the biggest noticeable changes was the flow of gifts, particularly in the generosity of people.

"I think generosity breeds generosity, and it's definitely contagious," she said.

"I think that's how we're supposed to live — we give things away and we get things in return.

"When you hold onto things and when you have too much of one thing, it's not healthy."