Quote:
Originally Posted by LuxLiving
I thought the intent of gift giving was pleasuring the receiver?
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You raise a very good point. Yes, I think the gift should be something that you know the recipient wants, if at all possible. The problem is the giver wants to feel good about the gift also. Sometimes it is hard to balance those two issues.
Here's a good example:
My receptionist got married in 2006. She and her husband do okay but don't have a lot. I knew that they could use money more than things. I could have stuffed cash in an envelope and handed it to them. I'm sure they would have appreciated it, but I would have felt bad doing that, like I couldn't come up with anything better to do for someone I've worked closely with for years and know pretty well. I wanted to be more creative than that.
So I came up with the idea of giving gift cards - not one, but several. I know where she shops and where they like to go. I gave one card to Home Depot because her husband is a contractor/handyman. I gave another to the supermarket where they shop. Another to The Christmas Tree Shoppe which sells all kinds of home items both practical and decorative, another to a favorite restaurant and a couple of others. I put each in its own envelope and wrote a note on each hinting at what was inside (like "for a romantic evening out" on the restaurant envelope). They thought it was novel and creative. The end result was similar to giving cash but it was something they'll remember as being unique.
I think that's the other thing. The giver wants his gift to stand out and be remembered. Cash doesn't do that (unless it is a LOT of cash
).