How many times have you consciously thought about what present to give to someone — whether it’s for a birthday, job promotion, or for celebrating a life milestone? It can be even more difficult if you don’t have a deep and personal connection to the receiver of your gift because you wouldn’t know if they will like it at all.
The art of giving gifts is more than just about letting the person know that you appreciate their existence and celebrate their achievements. It’s also about giving a piece of yourself to the other person as a way to remember you, which makes the gift more special and personal.
Gifts can take any form or shape; they can be tangible and intangible as well. That’s what makes thinking about what gift to give so hard to decide because there are just too many options. But don’t fret because here are three hacks that you can use to solve your gifting problems:
For Your Acquaintances
People that you barely know are always the hardest to give gifts to. This is because your relationship isn’t deep enough to know what the other person likes or dislikes, but deep enough to warrant a gift during momentous occasions.
Showing up to a celebration empty-handed can look discouraging to the celebrant, which is why you need to bring a gift that is not useless but not too meaningful as well. In such situations, you can never go wrong with bringing personalized gifts from local merchants.
It’s a way to support local entrepreneurs while giving your acquaintance a gift that they can enjoy but won’t hold too much meaning. For instance, it can be a comical mug with their name on it, a scented candle that they can enjoy, or a pastry from your favorite artisan bakery.
The important thing is that your gift won’t be too generic but will not stand out amongst the crowd. A too generic gift can look like you didn’t bother at all, and a well-thought-out gift will appear like you spent a good amount of time thinking about it. Always settle for the middle ground.
For Your Close Friends
Giving a gift to your close friends can be impossible not because you don’t know what they like, but because you have too much history under your belt that a material item may not suffice. This task can be easier if you have a specific item in mind, but if you’re racking your brain for an idea, then here’s what you can do.
Think back to your conversations and identify an activity that they mentioned in passing. This can be the perfect gift idea because you will be giving them an experience they can never forget rather than a material item that can lose its value over the years.
For instance, they might have mentioned never having the chance to go to amusement parks and ride the roller coaster when they were younger. Your gift to them could be a day at the amusement park wherein you try all the rides together.
It can also be tickets to a sports game they couldn’t stop talking about or an adventurous road trip to Vegas over a weekend. Material gifts can be meaningful, but the memories you create together are priceless. So if you’re wondering about what gift to give to your close friends, choose to make memories.
For Your Loved Ones
Choosing a gift for your loved one can be about as easy as balancing yourself on a tightrope while carrying an elephant on your back. It’s safe to say that it’s an impossible feat if you don’t have so much as an inkling about what they want to receive.
Before you say that this suggestion is not worth your time, give it a chance to sit with you. The best gift you can give to your loved one is a sentimental present, something you created with your own hands or spent time and effort on.
Your gift could be a piece of DIY furniture that they have been dying to have or a portrait painting that you created in your spare time. Another gift idea is on the day of the occasion, even if you don’t have the skills to make it delicious.
The essential part of this is that you devoted your time and energy to make it possible. Giving a gift to the people you love is more meaningful when you can’t put a price on them. If you want to make the occasion truly memorable, then you have to put in the work.
Gift-giving is one of the best ways to let the people in your life know that you appreciate their presence. The act itself shouldn’t be a chore, and that means that it can’t be forced. You don’t always have to pour your entire soul into your gift, but putting a piece of your heart never hurts anyone.
