OHIO BRIDAL SHOWS | WEDDING COUPONS & DISCOUNTS | WEDDING ARTICLES | HOME

WEDDING ARTICLES

The Art of Gift Giving

Buying gifts for some people is so easy.  Your aunt with the Green Bay Packers obsession would love anything cheesehead-related, and your boss with the offbeat tie collection would appreciate any weird tie you can find.  These are what good gift-givers can refer to as “no-brainers.” But, alas, most people are not this obvious.

What do you get someone about whom you know very little?  What is appropriate to give your office mates?  How about baby gifts when you are not a parent yourself?

How do you select a gift that conveys the right message and costs the appropriate amount?

Sometimes you just get stuck.  Around the holidays especially, you may be tempted to just grab a pair of slippers off the sale rack at the department store and call it a day.  But then you remember how you feel when you open your third pair of slippers on Christmas morning.

So, here are a few tips to help you find the perfect gift for any situation.

First rule of gift giving:  Pay attention!

Hobbies are key.  If your mother is a birdwatcher, buy her a pair of binoculars, a bird-watching guide, a birdhouse, a heated birdbath, a hummingbird feeder, a squirrel-proof feeder, a bird song guide, anything with a bird on it, etc.  You get the picture.  That’s Mother’s Day, her birthday, Christmas  - a whole year’s worth of gifts she’ll love and use. 

The easiest time of year to buy gifts is around the holidays.  Everybody starts dropping hints around this time.  You just have to be there to catch them.  One of the best ways to find out what to buy someone for Christmas is to actually go Christmas shopping with them.  While they pick out gifts for their loved ones, they will without a doubt point out a few things along the way that they would like to have for themselves.  Make a mental note of them and then return later to buy these items, and you’ve got nothing left to do but the wrapping. 

But you probably don’t go shopping with your boss or your hairdresser or your cousin out in Nevada who you see once a year, and you probably have no idea what their hobbies are.  These people require more attention on your part and maybe even a little investigation.

Start paying close attention well before a major holiday or birthday.  That way if you overhear your boss mention that she and her husband went to a fantastic restaurant the other night, you can go right out and buy her a gift certificate to it.

If you noticed that your hairdresser has a million nearly destroyed photos of her children tacked to the mirror in her workspace, consider a frame that would allow her to display the pictures in an organized way.   

Think back to the last time you visited a member of your family or a friend that lives far away.  Did he serve you gourmet coffee the last time you visited?  Send him a pound of an exotic blend.  Or make it regional.  If there are no Dunkin Donuts in Houston where your friend just moved, send her some coffee beans to remind her of home.  There are many websites that offer delivery of regional food specialties.  You can send anything from a full clambake to a South Carolina pecan pie to any place in the country and beyond. 

Second rule of gift giving:  Don’t break the bank!

You want to express your deepest thanks to your groomsmen for putting all of their efforts (and money) into participating in your wedding.  But unfortunately after paying for the wedding, you don’t have a whole lot of money left over!

There is no correlation between the cost of a gift and the meaning behind it.  For example, an expensive hand-carved humidor that your best man will never use will be much less appreciated than a beer glass with his initials engraved on it that will remind him of you every time he uses it.

Be creative.  Any parent would choose a beautiful photo of their baby that you took and had enlarged and placed into a frame from the bargain rack over an expensive frame with nothing inside of it.  A collage of film footage that you edited together on your computer for your grandparents’ anniversary is much more meaningful than a store-bought gift.

Include a heartfelt hand written message with any gift and you will raise its worth immediately.  Tell you father how much you appreciate him, or write a letter to your newborn godson and try to guess what he’ll be like when he grows up.

Chances are the recipient will keep and remember the letter long after they have forgotten the rest of the present.   

Third rule of gift giving:  Give the unexpected

There is nothing better than getting a gift that you would never have paid the money for yourself.  This is why spa treatments, perfume and jewelry are always good choices for Valentine’s Day.  Lots of women won’t spend their money on these items.  But socks, an iron or a vacuum, no matter how much she may need them – are not a good bet.  Ever.

If your husband never wears a watch and never knows what time it is, consider the fact that it just may never have occurred to him to spend money on a watch.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money, either - Swatch watches, for example, come in a myriad of styles from casual to dressy and can even be personalized.

Buy a Polaroid camera for your father to proudly document his renovation projects.  Buy your niece a candle-making kit and inspire her creativity.  Buy your best friend a karaoke machine and help her use it.  The more unexpected a gift is, the more thought went into it, and the more the recipient will appreciate it.

Gift giving is fun!

Above all else, have fun with gift giving.  If you had fun picking it out, it will show.  Try not to fall back on the old standbys (tie for Dad, pen for boss, Best Teacher mug).  Jelly Belly jellybeans for the entire office?  WAY more fun.

Karleen Kozaczka is a freelance writer who actually looks forward to the challenges of holiday gift giving every year.  She is also interested in buying jewelry.

Back to Wedding Articles