I love to give gifts. In fact, gift giving is my most prominent love language. Thankfuly, l I have a husband who is also very generous so he completely understands. However, when you have 19 family members, not to mention various friends, co-workerss, etc. in your life, the Holidays can get pricey. Not to mention birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, and any and all other circumstance which call for a gift. We are beyond lucky to have so many people in our life that we love, but it can get pricey.
Raising two kids on one touch-and-go, commission-heavy income means there isn’t always a lot of wiggle room in the budget. But we never let that stop us from giving fun, creative gifts when the situation calls for it. In fact, if I believe what I am told by various friends and family, I am pretty good at gift giving (with a few minor exceptions not sure what this means). So as requested by a friend, I am sharing some of my gift giving/buying tips.
Giving the perfect gift isn’t about money. In fact, some of the best gifts cost very little. It’s about knowing the person you are buying for. All the money in the world won’t help if you have no idea what your niece is into these days.
- Be observant: Keep your eyes and ears open. If you are looking for a gift for a loved one who live close, this is much easier. Think back to the last time you went out shopping together, or even just the last time you were at her house. What caught her eye while you were out? Have they recently redecorated a room in their home? Does she have a new hobby? Have they started listening to a new band or reading discovered a new author. It really isn’t that hard if you just pay attention.
- Online activity: Even if you don’t live close to loved ones, the internet makes spying, that is observing, pretty easy.
- Facebook: What pages have they liked recently? What are they talking about? What brands do they follow?
- Twitter: Again what brands do they follow? Have they mentioned any products? Who do they follow?
- Pinterest: Many people use this as a virtual wish list. If you are on pinterest and follow your friend, it should be pretty easy to find something to spark a gift idea.
- Trends: Even in the off chance that the person you are buying for isn’t someone you see very often and someone who has no online presence, or you are not connected through social networking, all is not lost. It’s pretty easy to pick up on the hottest trends simply by picking up a magazine or searching pinterest. You may not know your 13 year old nephew very well, but chances are the sales guys at BestBuy can tell you what’s trending in music, video games and gadgets. If you have a locally owned business in town that caters to the demographic of your difficult-to-shop-for giftee, even better. Even if that nephew has never before heard of the item you purchase there is a high likelihood he will appreciate a trending item. (Example: for my high school graduation my sister bought me an Italian charm bracelet and some charms. I had never heard of this style of charm bracelet before but they were very popular in the large city where my sister lives. I got to college and had one of the hottest accessories on campus. I wouldn’t even had known about it if my sister hadn’t gone out on a limb and purchased something because it was “trendy”.)
Mother Theresa said, ““It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”
So put some love into your gift giving with some effort and some time and some research. Be observant, pay attention to the recipient’s online presence, and learn the latest trends.
Stay tuned for part two of our gift giving series!
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