Gift giving is hard. But giving gifts is one of the 5 basic love languages to show your special someone you thought of them.
Commonly perceived constraints:
While these are relevant, they are not necessary to give a thoughtful gift that your person will love and you will be proud of. Don’t think in terms of the restriction. Think in terms of value/ usage/ interest/ fun. Focus on a feeling, not a constraint.
The only thing that matters is thought.
That you thought of them. Thought of what they would like, what they would appreciate. Even with thought, just like time and budget, more doesn’t necessarily mean better.
FIRST THING is THINK about them. Like close your eyes, and think about your person.
When I was little, I had no money right. I had like 5 rupees that I got together the entire year. With that money, I made a little trip to the nearby store, which was just one street away, but I was so young, I wasn’t actually allowed to cross the street by myself. But I went there and got my mom a face cream, because it was the winter, and we didn’t really use any creams or anything, but my mom was talking about how dry her skin was getting. So I used up all my life’s savings at that point, and basically put my life in danger by crossing the street by myself, and yes, it was mothers day, and yes, I claimed it was for my mother, but honestly, it was just as much, if not more, for myself. Because feeling like I did something and thought something considerate for someone I love brought me so much joy. That is my first memory of being proud of myself. I got belted for crossing the road alone, but hey, in hindsight, I took initiative. Since then, I have found genuine joy in gift giving, I have given some weird ass gifts to people, which have been cringey, but hey I did what I could with the information and resources at a given time, and that’s really all that I can do, and for me, that’s enough.
Here’s a guide to think up the best gifts every single time.
First idea is listening
If you have hung out with this person, listen to what they are saying. Their likes and dislikes.
There is nothing wrong with giving gift cards or cash. I do that sometimes too. Maybe because that would really be the best gift for them, since I don’t want to get them, or because I don’t know them well enough, or simply because I didn’t have the time to pick the premium/ best/high-quality gift.
What I want to do with this exercise is to create a framework, so that thinking of a gift feels easy, effortless, and fun.
First thing is think of them. Think happy thoughts about. Think about what would make them happy.