The holiday season is usually filled with more cheer and excitement than in other seasons. At the same time, it can be one of the busiest, as it involves a lot of cramming to buy holiday gifts for family and friends in time for your parties.
It is easy to look at big sales to purchase discounted items to give away. However, mindless shopping makes the season of giving feel less authentic and more like another routine. Don’t you want to make it special for the people you love?
The art of meaningful gift-giving is not dead. Keep the spirit alive by making it a point to be mindful about your gift-buying and giving this year.
Are you not sure how to accomplish that? We have great ideas for you.
The Gift-giving Questionnaire
The best way to know if you are on the right path with your gifts is by first asking yourself these four questions before buying something for a person.
1. Does the gift meet a need?
A great way to ensure that your gift means something to the person you are giving it to is going where their needs are. Your friend might have recently broken their mixer after a baking session at home, or they may have told you about needing new pairs of socks when you spoke last week. If you are unsure, you can even ask them if they need anything!
This also makes the task simpler when you have friends with kids. For example, buy them items that can help them keep the home organized. Another idea is to get educational toys for their kids, such as construction toys for toddlers or picture books for beginner readers.
Buying a present that addresses a need of theirs shows your attentiveness and is, of course, helpful as it improves their daily routines.
2. Does the gift remind you of the recipient?
Not all gifts have to strictly meet a practical need, though. Sometimes, the best gift you can give someone you love is one that tells them that you are thinking of them.
Think about their interests, hobbies, and even the principles they uphold. You can learn more about this through what you notice they spend a lot of their free time doing or what they like talking about. Quickly browsing through their social media pages can also tell you about these details.
Getting something for a loved one that reminds you of them is a sweet gesture that does more than show that you think of them. It also signals that you know them well, which is a unique gift in itself.
3. Does the gift tell an interesting story?
Sometimes, it is even the gift itself that makes it special. Maybe you found an item that has an interesting story in itself, and you think your friend or family member would appreciate it.
An example of this is purchasing books from a local bookstore that your loved one may be interested in supporting. You may have a bookworm friend who will enjoy the story of how the store was built and how every purchase directly helps their operations, especially during the pandemic.
Usually, handcrafted gifts or locally bought products are those that tell the most interesting stories, so look for gifts from such places.
4. Does the gift give back in some way?
There are instances in which your gift does not even have to be for the recipient themselves, exactly. If the person you are giving a gift to likes to do charitable acts or is conscious of ways they can give back to their community, making a donation in their name could be the best way to provide them with a gift this holiday season.
Alternatively, you can also buy them a gift that donates a percentage of proceeds to a selected charity. This could mean more to them than a simple gift because it supports a cause close to their heart or brings awareness to advocacy that matters to them.
Gifts Don’t Have to Be Things
As you shop for gifts for the holidays, remember to think outside the box. Your gifts can also come in the form of nice deeds or little acts of kindness directed towards the person you are giving a gift to. You can cook a meal for them, offer to do their chores for a day, or join them for a day of errands.
Gifts can take different forms, so don’t be afraid to get creative. Find the right one to give to your loved ones.