For grandma, her tried and true method is a gift box with a rolled up check inside. The boxes are each labeled with our names and have been reused for at least the past 6 years. Personally I love my grandmas method, it lets the recipient choose their own gift so there is no worrying about if they will like it, or if someone else has steady bought it for them. In my family though? Grandma is the only one who can get away with that. Everyone else has to give an actual gift.
Me and my mom? We ask. I know what I want for Christmas and so does she. Does it take the mystery out of gift giving, or the charm of it? Possibly, but now that I would rather get something that I know I would actually want and will use over something that someone else thinks that I need.
My aunts love to play the guessing game. They want to give a present that they picked out, and while they may ask other relatives for help, me for Mom Dad for my brother and so on, my hey would never ask the recipient what they specifically want. It is a nice idea L, but it can also end up backfiring, like the year I got two full makeup kits that i never used because “that’s what you get a 17 year old girl”. My aunts relied on the advertising around them to say what they should get me. A section of shirts with the tags still on, a carrying case of barely touched makeup, and a box of too big designer purses are the results. I won’t deny that the gifts are nice, but they aren’t me.
As the holidays approach my suggestion is this, no matter how much you love the look of surprise that the perfect gift brings, be mindful that what you think is perfect may not be what they think is the same. When in doubt, it is better to ‘ruin’ the surprise then let your almost thoughtful gift gather dust. If all else fails, listen to grandma, everyone loves cash.
To add to this, I think a lot of people get caught up in what the perfect gift would be by looking to advertising or by looking at what's trendy. And kids are paying attention to what the TV and internet are saying they should ask for for Christmas. Having worked retail, I can't tell you how many times I have had people come into Target wanting to get their kid an iPad or the latest, hottest toy (which always conveniently happens to be upwards of $50 and always, ALWAYS out of stock) and get mad when I tell them we don't have it or that (like the iPad) the product they are looking to buy starts at $250+. Advertisers are putting parents in a really tough spot. If they don't get the specific thing, they don't love their kid enough. Last year, with the whole Hatchimals debacle, there were people lining up outside the store as soon as we closed, just to be first in line into the store on days where we had our truck deliveries. And then you'd see on Ebay all of these ridiculously upcharged resells of Hatchimals that people were actually buying because if they didn't, that meant waiting out in the cold every morning until they could get one at regular price OR that they somehow didn't love their kids enough to take all these ridiculous measures to get a toy whose value diminishes almost immediately after it hatches from its egg.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I try to put thought into the gift. I don't go Black Friday shopping (nor will I have to work during that horror this year!), I get stuff throughout the year that I know my close friends will like. I make lists of fun, creative ideas-- not all just expensive, trendy gifts. While I will ask for ideas of what my friends and family have been wanting, I will also take some creative liberties with my shopping to make it more personal. I don't want to give a gift that anybody could buy for just about anyone. Where's the fun in that? Where's the Christmas spirit in that?