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Gift Giving

Posted on: December 13, 2006

Gift Giving

By Kim Ward

This time of year is painful for one simple reason; the effort it takes to buy the perfect Christmas present is equivalent to being dragged behind a horse through a barbed wire fence while dressed in a pink leotard. This is an event that brings fear to the hearts of straight men and shopping impaired women everywhere. The deviancy required to find out what your loved one wants for Christmas could only be mustered by a double agent spy for the KGB or CIA. And the courage it actually takes to brave the shopping hordes would put most super heroes to shame.

Shopping for children is monumentally easier. We already have some whopper lies built into the system which help in this venture. First of all there is a fictional character, who the children write a letter to explaining in detail what they want. Then, as any other good and loving parent, we promise to mail the letters. I am fairly sure there is a Federal Law against tampering with the mail but I will chance litigation in order to discover what my kids want for Christmas. And then it’s a short trip to the local “Everything”-Mart and a couple of paychecks later VOILA… Santa has left the chimney.

Why can’t it be that easy for adult presents? While searching for an answer to that question, I found some great tips on what an appropriate gift would be along with some absolute no-no’s.

Several years ago, a friend of mine was divorcing her husband. One of the reasons she decided to leave him was his choice of Christmas presents he had gotten her. Apparently, he liked to get her adult themed toys from the local Adult bookstore. It became a problem when they celebrated Christmas with some of her extended family and she unwrapped something that left her extremely embarrassed in front of her mom and dad. Anything of a sexual nature would be better given during the first part of February.

Another pitfall to avoid is the “George-to-George gift”. Any gift that you would like more than the one it is intended for is a bad gift. That may explain why my ex-wife did not show the amount of enthusiasm I would have expected for the “Bruce Lee Video Collection”. Maybe there is a good reason she is my EX-wife.

The one tidbit of information which is beneficial is to keep the interests of the individual in the front of your mind as you decide on the perfect gift. An important part of the gift is the amount of effort and thought put into it. The more original and unique without being obscene may pay off big when it comes to gifts. This does require putting aside our own personal taste and style while choosing. This does take some effort which is not as easy as it sounds.

And last but not least, is the perceived value. If someone likes chocolate a bag of Hershey’s Kisses may suffice, but a pound of Godiva could reap huge rewards.

Happy gift giving and may all your presents be right.

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