It’s often said that it is better to give than to receive with gifts. Sometimes it can be hard to believe this is anything more than propaganda from the gift industry. It’s a saying that makes you keep buying more, chasing that elusive gift-giving high.
Of course, there’s no denying that it’s great to see the smiling face of a gift recipient. But that joy may only last so long, as you suspect their grin might disappear the moment you’re out of sight. “Great,” they sigh. “Another saucepan! I can’t wait to… cook a thing in it…”
Let’s be honest. Gifting is hard. You need to hit the mark on at least three fronts.
- It needs to be useful, or at least something they want to use.
- It needs to be thoughtful. If you give the same gift every year, it tends to scream: “will this do?”
- Original. You want to make sure you’re not giving the exact same gifts that everyone else is.
All of this can bring you to the idea “the classics” are off limits when it comes to gifting. After all, they may be useful, but how original can the classic gifts actually be? As for settling the thoughtful category, well, there is a reason there’s a cliche about distant relatives always giving socks.
The thing is… the classics are The Classics for a reason. When you buy a gift, it might be worth embracing the well-trodden path of The Classics. They can be useful; they can be desired; you can make them wonderful. Not sure how? Well…
Everyone Else Will Be Trying To Be “Innovative”
There’s a lot of competition at play when it comes to buying presents. Everyone wants to be the one that buys the stand out gifts.
However, a lot of “original” gifts are items that look good at first glance and never again after it. Classics like handcrafted leather wallets or personalized necklaces look fantastic and can show a good eye for quality, which means…
They Stand The Test of Time
happiness. A quirky or original gift may raise an initial smile but can easily become useless and discarded at the back of a drawer.
A Classic Gift Is All About The Recipient
It’s nice to be remembered as the person who brought the stand out gift to any celebration.
However; think about that sentence for a minute. You’re not supposed to be the one who stands out. It’s not your occasion and this is not the time for show-stealing. In buying a gift that will be useful and held on to for some time, you will stick in the recipient’s memory after the fact; and that’s far more important. A momentary selfish pleasure – the aforementioned “gifting high” – isn’t going to last, but a well-thought out, considerate gift is.
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