subject: Don't Make These Christmas Present Mistakes [print this page] Every year, during the holidays, we all fall victim to that last-minute gift buying syndrome where we rush to buy anything we can grab off the shelf without much thought. Then we feel bad when the people we have given those gifts to, exchange them or do not use them at all.
The thing is: people get sick and tired of receiving things they have absolutely no use for. It can be quite a headache to find a way to keep the hideous gift (we don't want to hurt the giver's feelings) while making sure it is out of our sight. We end up with a closet full of useless gifts that we simply give away as gifts the following year while keeping our fingers crossed we don't give them back to the person who gave them to us in the first place.
So how do we avoid making the same mistakes this year? What can we do to make sure our gifts will be treasured by the people we give them to?
1. Avoid decorative items. Avoid them like the plague. Unless your partner or the people you live with had specifically asked you to buy a specified decorative piece, do not attempt it. No one likes to receive gifts of decorative pieces that they have no use for. Taste is something that varies from person to person. A decor that looks elegant to you may look ugly to someone else. You will end up spending money on something nobody wants. Just think about how you would feel if someone gave you a hideous looking decorative duck. If it makes you shudder, then do not expose other people to the same misery.
2. Avoid large appliances. Again, do not attempt to buy that cappuccino maker unless your target recipient asked you to or specifically said that he or she needs one. There is nothing more uncomfortable than receiving an incredibly bulky microwave they have no room for that may have cost you a fortune. Unless you want to find your gift being auctioned off on ebay, do not even think about it.
3. Ask what people would want to have. There is nothing wrong with asking people what they would want to receive for the holidays. If you are terrified that they may name an expensive gift, then ask them about what their interests are and go from there. If they say they love music, then an inexpensive mp3 player (there are millions in the market that won't cost the sky.
4. Go for quality. You do not have to make your house look like Santa's workshop by filling it up with gifts. Quantity is of no use if the quality of the gifts is terrible. What is the point of filling-up your house with hundreds of gifts that are useless? It is much better to get fewer gifts that are of great quality. Kids may enjoy opening lots of boxes but if they do not find anything they really like, they will just feel dejected. One great gift is worth more than 10 useless ones.
5. Homemade items are just fine. There is nothing wrong with homemade gifts. Great gifts ideas include homemade jams, jellies, cookies, candies, knitted scarves, hand-painted picture frames among others.
Christmas can be a time of giving and if we give gifts that are useful to the people we give them to, the gifts will always be treasured and remembered for years to come.
by: Sarah Gadey
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