December is the season of cozy cashmere throw and warm cup of your favorite beverage. Our surrounding view is usually rainbow colored strings of light, raindrops or snowflake and of course the season’s mascots: reindeers and Christmas trees. The ambiance boosters include yards and yards of garland, unique shaped ornaments and stockings for Santa to come and fill them in for all the boys and girls who have been less naughty and more nice. Santa is the long reigning gift giver champion of all time. This holiday season he is sharing his recipes to gifting our loved ones the perfect gift.
Listen and pay attention to detail. A true gift connoisseur understands listening is half of the battle. From time to time without knowing our recipient would mention, “oh my God! Isn’t this bouquet of hydrangeas dreamy?” or “I need to try buying patent leather shoes so they can withstand rain and dirt.” Those mentions are our cues. Surely gifting any kind of flowers is thoughtful, however it can read generic and less impressive. A bouquet of their favorite flowers would convey that we heed their wishes. Instead of purchasing the similar looking tennis shoes that they probably already own, why not get the patent leather shoes that they have been drooling over. Those shiny patent leather shoes will surely stand out in the crowd of tennis shoes in the cabinet.
Buy something that they wouldn’t buy for themselves. My mother is the hardest working woman I know. Having built a successful company taught her to spend her coins wisely. She tries to only spend her money on various kinds of investment. She puts others’ wants and needs above hers. One day she took out her card case and it was visible that this item has been used and abused to its capacity. I asked her why not buy a new one? She answered, “It can wait. I can use the money to buy some gold bar.” On her birthday I decided to gift her a new patent leather card case. She was super thrilled and surprised! Thank God we can put anything on installment these days!
Do it yourself and make it personal. The best things in life are free or cost next to nothing: hugs, prayers, smile, etc. A handmade gift can be equally or more heartfelt than material things, because it may consume more time and effort to produce. In this era of instant communication, emotion is often forgotten. A short hand written letter will evoke more sparks than a long email ever will. It also costs a fraction than any email ever sent.
Another crucial aspect of gift giving is timing. It is highly recommended that we wait or plan for a time that will work for our benefit. Orchestrating a surprise is arguably the best way to present a gift. However if a surprise is too much hassle, then a calm and romantic post-dinner-walk will do the trick.
Happy gift shopping!
