The Do's and Don'ts of Giving Gifts Across the World

I buy and sell gifts from different parts of the world and I’ve always been aware that traditions surrounding giving and receiving gifts vary widely. What I haven’t known until now, is what some of those traditions are.

I did some research to find out and discovered a great interactive map and ‘handy’ infographic from Cloud 9 Living, a quiz from Wisc-Online and a blog from the Massachusetts BayTrading Company that helped me enormously. 

For example, did you know that England and Sweden have the most gift-giving holidays at five per year and Zimbabwe and China have the least with just one per year?

I’m sure, like me, you suspected that December and January are the months of the year when the most gifts are given. What with Christmas, Hannukah , Yule and Pancha Ganapati (to name just a few) falling in those months, it was bound to be and the infographic confirms it.

Apart from these interesting facts, I also discovered some useful information on the differences in gift giving etiquette and the symbolism that lies behind the etiquette.

Here are a few do’s and don’ts from different countries:

•  If you go to Sweden and get an invitation to visit a family’s house, make sure you take gifts for their children. Sweden is a family orientated country and it pays to remember that when buying gifts.

• If you visit Russia and want to give flowers, make sure you don’t give an even number as even numbers are for funerals. It could be easy to miss one in a large bunch so maybe a smaller bunch would be more manageable – just something to consider.

• In China it’s important to wrap your gift and decorate it with ribbon. The colour of the ribbon has significance with red being the correct colour for everyday gifts, black and white for funerals and gold and silver for weddings. Red is a lucky colour in China so bear that in mind when buying wrapping paper for an everyday gift as well.

•  Hosts in France like to serve their own choice of wine so take something else when invited to dinner. France is country famous for its wines so it’s understandable. In fact, it pays to find out what a country is famous for before buying a gift. For example, Mexico is a silver producing country so it would be a good idea to avoid silver gifts.

• Never give anything made from cows in India as the cow is a sacred animal. The same goes in a Muslim country where a gift made from pigskin would be a mistake.

• When giving a gift in Japan, it’s important to play down your gift as this is seen as being humble, a valued trait in Japanese society. In fact, Japan has quite a few gift giving and receiving rules and protocols so maybe a bit of research would be in order before purchasing a gift for your Japanese friends or colleagues.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, more of a glimpse really, into the symbolism and tradition that surrounds the giving and receiving of gifts around the world. 

This is a fascinating topic so I might do some more research and try and dig deeper into the reasons behind different traditions in future blogs.

Have you got any gift giving tips for your country? 

Share them with me by leaving a comment.

Dressed up Dressing Tables

I love buying trinkets, boxes and stands for my own dressing table and to sell on my website, Pink Parrot Gifts. I was uploading images of my products onto my 'Gifts' Pinterest board recently, some of which were designed to accessorise a dressing table. It got me thinking about why we use them.

I decided to do some research on Pinterest to find examples of dressing tables that demonstrated how highly personal this item of furniture is. I also wanted to see how they have changed over the years and how they look today. I used three categories; vintage dressing tables, shabby chic dressing tables and modern dressing tables and this is what I found.

                                    Photo from http://www.thisisglamorous.com/2010/09/two-lovely-things-mirrors-chandeliers.html

In the vintage category, I chose this mirrored dressing table, not only because it looks so unusual but also because of all the photos displayed on it. Photos of our loved ones comfort us, make us feel loved and remind us of the good times in our lives. Having them close to hand as we get ready to face the day, or when we glamour ourselves up for a night out, can do wonders for our confidence.

                                                                Original image not located
In the shabby chic category, this blue one stood out as an example of the potential of the dressing table for reflecting its owner's personality. It provides a space that we can call our own, where we can be bold and adventurous and indulge our own tastes, especially if we share the rest of our living space with other people. This table is accessorised with a vintage telephone and retro pictures, dainty white metal stands and floral wall hangings which give us visual clues about the personality of the owner. 

                              Original image can be found at http://www.gomodern.co.uk/store/adria-dressing-table.html

In the modern category, this example demonstrates the direction that dressing tables could be heading in. The style is clean and non-fussy and the clever under cover storage with an integrated mirror turns this dressing table into a multipurpose piece of furniture. With the cover closed the dressing table turns into a work space, making it ideal for people living in flats or shared housing where space is limited. Despite it's multipurpose style, this one still has dressing table accessories, the face mask, cologne bottle and vase of flowers.

Big or small, ornate or simplistic, single use or multipurpose, dressing tables are as unique as the people who own them.

5 things to think about when choosing jewellery as a gift

Most women and a lot of men loving receiving jewellery as a gift but choosing the right piece is a bit of a minefield for the person giving the gift.

The symbolism and economic value attached to jewellery means that it’s important to get it right when choosing a piece for someone else. This might not seem as important when choosing costume jewellery of relatively low value, but I would say that even then, your choice will make a statement about your relationship. For example, a girl who loves rabbits might be thrilled to receive a cheap pair of novelty earrings with little silver bunnies on them, but might not be as thrilled to get a necklace with a little fox on it.

Choosing high value jewellery requires even more thought. If your girlfriend always wears silver it might not be a good idea to go out and buy her gold without asking first. Gold is often mixed with nickel to make it stronger and your girlfriend might just be allergic to nickel. Buy her a gold ring and she might come out in a rash, not the reaction you were looking for.

Here are 5 tips to help you choose the right jewellery for the right person:

1. Beauty is definitely ‘in the eye of the beholder’ when it comes to jewellery. Some people like dainty silverware but others like chunky pieces adorned with crystals and stones. Some people only wear gold and others prefer silver. Young girls tend to love novelty jewellery but a young Goth or Emo would want skulls or coffins instead of fluffy pink dice earrings.
2. The cost of the piece will speak volumes. Your intended recipient might feel uncomfortable if you have only known them for a couple of months and you buy them a necklace worth hundreds of pounds. If you give someone an expensive gold ring they may assume you have offered them a lifelong commitment, particularly if you are romantically involved. Conversely, if you’ve known them for years and you are close friends or romantically attached, they are likely to be disappointed if your gift looks cheap and shoddy.
3. The type of jewellery is important. Braceletsand necklaces are versatile and can be given to anyone. They range in price and style to suit all tastes and they are ideal if you want a gift that tells someone they are important to you.  Rings are more personal and, unless they are very cheap, usually need to be fitted. They are more symbolic of a longer term relationship.
4. The composition of the piece will give out messages you may or may not want to give. Gemstones, crystals and charms are linked to astrological signs, religious rituals, pagan beliefs and a whole range of traditions and cultures. Most of them have symbolic meanings so it’s important to choose the right one. Some charms are symbols of luck or personal qualities such as loyalty or strength and crystals are considered to have healing powers. Many people would be delighted to receive gemstones, crystals and charms but others might be offended because of the traditions and meanings attached to them.
5. Buy jewellery with the person in mind. When choosing jewellery for someone other than yourself it is vitally important to walk past the pieces that you like the most.  Whether you are a man or a woman, and whether you are buying for a man or a woman, there are few of us who can walk past a stunning piece of jewellery without wanting to buy it. There is something about jewellery that suits the human psyche. Observe what the person likes, forget what you like and think about who they are. Do that and you should get it right.

I'd love to hear about your good and bad experiences of buying jewellery for someone else. Please leave a comment.

The Art of Giving the Perfect Gift

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ― Mother Teresa

Great gift giving is an art because it requires the blending of different elements to achieve the ultimate result, much as the artist blends a palette of colours into the perfect shades for a painting. Instead of colours, the elements needed for a perfect gift palette are:

Knowledge: About the person you are giving to. 

It might seem like an obvious point to make but the more you know about a person’s personality, hobbies, attitudes, like and dislikes, the easier it will be to find a good gift. 

Going one step further and taking the time to understand the world from the receiver’s point of view will make it easier to find a great gift.

Venturing even further still and putting yourself in their shoes, in your imagination, before you begin shopping, might just result in the perfect gift.

Observation: Of the person you are giving to.  

Take notice of how they dress, how they organise their desk at work or how they arrange their possessions at home. Careful observation will tell you whether they like designer or charity shop, minimalist or cluttered, muted or vibrant colours and so much more.

Again, it might seem like stating the obvious, but get this wrong and the gift you spent time and effort buying might disappear forever under a pile of clutter.  Worse still, it might turn up in your local charity shop within a couple of months.

Excitement: For the person you are giving to (not for you!). 

People are creatures of habit and we all like our familiar things around us, but now and then we like to feel our hearts race and we get a thrill when we feel like our horizons are expanding.

Use your gift as a way to take the receiver down a slightly different path to the one they are used to.  Take them slightly out of their comfort zone. Make them feel glad to be alive.

You can do this by adding a little of yourself to the gift. You’re different to them and by adding a little of yourself to the gift you’ll be giving them an insight into you. That’s a greater gift than the item you’re buying them.

Another way to add excitement is to choose something that is slightly different to the possessions they already own. It might have a splash of a more vibrant colour, a more or less elegant style or a more masculine or feminine design. 

Be careful when adding excitement though. Take them too far and you’ll see your gift in the charity shop. Don’t take them far enough and your gift will seem ordinary.

Get this right and the person receiving the gift will see the time and effort you spent on them. They’ll get a sense of how well you know them and they’ll see the value of their relationship with you in making the world a bigger, brighter place. Get this right and they will treasure your gift for many years.

How do you choose the perfect gift? Please leave a comment with your tips.