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