When you think about what gift to give someone, it is important to evaluate what the recipient’s needs. There are many personal factors affecting what type of gift a person will enjoy and that often has very little to do with what you, as the gift giver, enjoys. So we understand how this looks in real life, let’s look at some examples.
- You might enjoy a bottle of expensive scotch on a holiday, but you certainly wouldn’t give it to a person who was recently in treatment for alcohol addiction.
- A very wealthy person who already has one too many watches, might not want a material gift, but rather they would like for you to take them out to tea.
- A person in assisted living may have limited storage space for gifts, but yarn to knit gifts, making the person feel useful, might be the ticket to happiness.
It is too bad that sometimes we keep doing the same thing, thinking that is all that needs to be done. We run on some type of autopilot all the time. Try turning off the autopilot and see your friends and family in a new light. If you don’t understand their needs, try asking. The answer might surprise you.
Several years ago, I spent time arguing with a dear friend that I was the one always calling on the holidays – they never called me. Unfortunately, such a simple solution as a phone call as a gift wasn’t, for some reason, possible. The outcome has been a strained relationship because what is vitally important to me was never available or given. And, it didn’t really cost anything.
Many years ago a counselor told me a story about a family. One child committed suicide. The gun used by the one child to end their life, was given to the other child as a Christmas gift. Most of us should recognize this as an appalling situation.
Being aware is key. Or ask. You might be surprised that the best gift does’t cost much.
Era Lewis 