What makes a meaningful gift? Is it the high cost or how much thought went into choosing the perfect item? This topic has generated diverse perspectives. However, what cuts across is the aim to find a special gift the receiver will cherish, whether it is a DIY, purchased, or experiential. Statistics indicate that 36% of gift-givers feel the need to outdo themselves with these presentations. This technique may not be advisable because of the tension it creates. Here are some ways to make your gifts more meaningful. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be something nobody wants.
How to Make a Gift More Meaningful
1. Consider experiential gifts
There has been a lot of discussion over experiential gifts being the most meaningful. While there is no evidence to prove that it is the best among the lot, the following reasons seem to support why people may feel so. First, an experiential gift primarily involves offering an experience rather than an item. Many believe these have more lasting impressions on the receiver than a material gift.
For others, the idea of eliminating waste is why experiential gifts may hold more meaning. The absence of wrapped gifts and boxes is their way of contributing to a green environment. So, if this is what you opt for, there are considerations to make it count even more. If you’re gifting a paid-for vacation abroad, it is advisable to find out if the receiver has a passport to travel. It would take a lot of creativity to find that out. If you are gifting a ticket to a game, it would be best to know if that is their favorite team. Research should focus on an experiential gift for a loved one, so keep this in mind.
2. Connect your gift to the receiver’s interests
Gifts can be meaningful when connected to the receiver’s interests and hobbies. These presents will be cherished and appreciated for a long time. It’s the same if the gift is related to their occupation. For example, if you’re presenting the present to a physician, you can consider a customized stethoscope for personal day-to-day use.
If their hobby is hunting, skiing, gardening, floristry, or other, all you have to do is find the appropriate tools relevant to these activities. If they have a green thumb or love flowers, you can send them unique flowers from popular sites such as lebouquetfleurs.com.
3. Meeting the receiver’s needs to make a gift more meaningful
Sometimes, a gift is meaningful when it meets the receiver’s needs. But how can you determine that in the first place? People have many different needs; therefore, getting it right from the onset can make all the difference. If it is a financial need, would you be in a position to part with a significant sum? Moreover, how much would be enough to meet their financial needs? Undoubtedly, this is tricky, but there is a way to go around it.
If the person to be gifted is someone you know personally, it would be easy to fish for more background information. When the receiver is a struggling parent, you may present them with a grocery shopping gift card for a particular month. That would meet their monthly needs and would mean a lot to them. Some people may be offended when gifted money without any explanation, so keep this in mind. Therefore, when unsure of their reaction, a safer option would be to present the money as a token to buy anything the amount will cover.
4. Passing down a legacy
This type of gifting is popular in families. It creates much more meaning when something that holds value gets passed on from one generation to the next. Things like hand-made family recipe books from parents to older children make meaningful gifts. It could also be a family heirloom passed onto specific genders within the family.
The exciting thing about this type of gifting is the idea of a valuable item having moved through generations. It creates a sense of responsibility to protect the item and ensure it is in excellent condition to pass to the next generation.
Lastly, your gift would be meaningful if when centered around a shared memory. It is best when you’ve been old friends or a family, so feel free to consider this. The longer the relationship has existed, the more memories you can choose between.
