Thoughtful gifts
I’m not sure if my husband is a natural or if he is just lucky, but over the years he has consistently given me amazing gifts. Not once have I returned a gift from him.
I’m a practical person and I like practical things. If he got me a diamond necklace, I’d probably look at him like he was crazy or insane. I’d then sell it on e-bay and buy something I could use. Not surprisingly then, Leon has never bought me jewelry. Well, there’s the wedding ring exception.
Gift Example No. 1
I was into vegetables and stir fries when we were first dating. I also use cast iron pans almost exclusively. He noticed those things and for our first Valentine’s Day he gave me a cast iron wok. I love that wok.
Some people think that practical gifts are the sign of a relationship’s downfall, but I have to disagree. Leon and I have been married for six years now and we seem to be doing well together. Plus, I love the wok and we still use it. I’m glad Leon didn’t listen to that relationship advice.
Gift Example No. 2
I like Asimov. If you don’t know who Asimov is, well, he’s one of my heroes. Besides writing some fine science fiction, he also wrote something in every major Dewey decimal system category. He was a smart feller. I also like Chemistry. One day, briefly in passing, I told Leon that I wished I had a copy of Asimov on Chemistry. The book is out of print and has been for a while. For a birthday about 18 months later, Leon gave me a copy of Asimov on Chemistry. I just about jumped out of my skin.
Gift Example No. 3
We have a projector system in our house. One evening, while watching Star Wars, I said to Leon “Can I have that?” I was referring to Ewen McGregor. For my next birthday he gave me an autographed picture of Ewen McGregor. I laughed, and I love telling that story.
Gift Example No. 4
Leon out did himself this year. We have been watching a TV show called Good Eats. It’s a food network show, but the host, Alton Brown, likes to talk about the chemistry, physics, and biology of cooking. Leon emailed me the link to MIT’s course on Kitchen Chemistry and gave me a copy of the prime text book for the class, On Food and Cooking-The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, for Christmas. I’m excited about reading this.
What do all his gifts have in common?
- All of the gifts were under $40.00. Expensive is not necessarily good.
- The gifts took into account a long-term interest of mine.
- The gifts also took into account a brand-new interest.
- The gifts demonstrated that the giver knew the receiver.
- My husband, the giver, never gave me any hints about the presents until I opened them.
Gift Example No. 5
I’m leaning towards Leon’s gift giving being a natural trait. There were eight humans at my house on Christmas morning. Clearly, the best gift was given by Leon’s mother to my daughter. When she opened it she couldn’t talk for about a minute. Then she said “Oh, oo, Oh, I think I just about jumped out of my skin.” Grandma gave Anna a pretty figuring of some dolphins on a wave. Does the statue meet the criteria? Yes. It was definitely under $40. Anna’s been into dolphins for several years and she doesn’t have any statues of dolphins yet. Grandma clearly knows that Anna likes dolphins, and Anna had no clue what the present was until she opened it up.
Maybe this is natural to my husband, but I believe most of us can do better with our gift giving.
Gift Giving Strategies
- Know the person you are giving to. If you don’t know the person, how can you learn about them? If the receiver is a secret sister or secret Santa, who are his/her friends? Talk to them and get ideas. Talk to the person’s family. Don’t ask “What does she want?” Instead, ask about what the person likes, what his/her dreams are, how does (s)he spend his/her time, and other questions you would ask someone if you were just starting to date them. Ask about the past. Ask about the present.
- Put a price limit on your gifts. Thoughtful gifts do not need to be expensive. I’ve received some most excellent secret sister gifts that didn’t cost more than $20.00. Also, some of the best gifts are homemade.
- Shhh
- After you give the gift, don’t ask the receiver if (s)he liked it. Ask his/her friends, or observe the person and see if (s)he uses it. Do some reconnaissance. Was the gift a winner? If so, great. If not, try to figure out what went wrong so that next time it works out better.
And, Good Luck.
Labels: birthday, christmas, gift giving strategies, gifts
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