by Priscilla
(Massachusetts)
I love to give gifts that are very personal and deeply meaningful to the recipient. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that the gift I have given will be cherished by the recipient for years to come.
Sometimes it can feel like a struggle to give gifts and that is quite a shame, but it does happen. You are busy and don't really have time to shop. You don't feel like you know the person well enough to know what would be meaningful to them. You are short on cash and can't really afford to buy what you would want to give them if money were no object. There are tons of reasons that you might not be able to give a personalized gift. When this situation arises for me, my second choice is always a useful gift.
If I can't give something personal or meaningful, I at least want the recipient to find my gift useful. I generally turn to gift cards in this case. With a gift card, the recipient could enjoy a dinner out, a move, a shopping spree or maybe even some free gas for their car. I would rather give a gift card that I know will be used and enjoyed than some random trinket that will likely sit in a drawer or be given away.
When it comes to my first choice of personal and meaningful gifts, there really isn't much to being able to find the perfect gift. All you have to do is spend a little time thinking about what the recipient really enjoys. I always like to put together a gift basket filled with lots of little things related to their special interest. These are always fun to give and to receive.
For example, if the gift recipient really enjoys quilting you might go to your local fabric store and purchase various fat quarters of beautiful fabrics, maybe some thread in unusual colors, perhaps a specialized ruler or some other fun quilting tools that you find.
The idea is to try to purchase items that would be considered impractical indulgences. Things the recipient would love to have, but would not spend money to purchase for themselves because they are not necessities.
When you take a little time to do some thinking beforehand, personalized gift giving can be easy and fun!