Looking forward to giving the best gifts this holiday season, but you don’t know where to start? Look no further! Holidays are rounding the corner, this year at an exceptional rate, at least it seems! Procrastinating gifts for friends and family is NOT OK. Gift giving is a process that can be stressful, but not impossible.
“Often truly great gifts tap into more specific things that bring someone joy,” writes author Ingrid Fetell Lee in her article, A Guide to Joyful Giving.
Commonly, gift giving can be taken out of proportion. People think a good gift needs to be designer or expensive. That is far from the truth. A good gift can be as simple as a hand made card or a plant. Hand made gifts are often sentimental and meaningful to people.
If you’re not the crafty type, ask yourself “What do they buy — or not buy — for themselves?” Start with, what are some of their passions, hobbies, or interests. If no gifts come to mind, think about what special places they like.
Gifts don’t always have to be tangible– you could buy someone an experience, like a vacation, or a cooking class, or take them to a nice restaurant. Gifts like these will create memories for each party involved.
New Hartford English and journalism teacher Mrs. Clive is very skilled when it comes to gift-giving. With six kids, ages ranging from 14-26, Mrs. Clive has to be flexible with her gift selection.
Her gift-giving style looks a little different than others. Mrs. Clive starts to gather ideas mainly by the lists her children give her. Each year Mrs. Clive’s kids begin the holiday months with a list of what they’re thankful for and what they are wishing for.
She begins shopping in early November for items that were on her kids lists. Mrs. Clive likes to mix things up by getting them some gifts that she thinks they will like that aren’t on their lists.
Mrs. Clive herself likes to ask for practical gifts, like shoes, candles, teas she likes, and cooking gadgets. Just like Ingrid Fetell Lee, Mrs. Clive
believes that “it is the thought that counts.”
Similarly to Mrs. Clive, senior Norah Taylor-O’Connell, also begins her Christmas shopping in early November. She likes to do a lot of looking around before she buys the gift.
Before buying her friends or family gifts, she takes into consideration what they previously mentioned wanting or needing. She commonly takes the more practical route when purchasing gifts.
This holiday season let there be no excuse when it comes to gift-giving, starting early and making each gift count.
