When you are drawing a blank on what to get someone this holiday season, it really is SNOW laughing matter. (Thank you, we’re here all week…)
Have no fear— Your Greetabl Gift Coach is here!
By walking yourself through a little gift-giving strategy– especially if you have “gift-giver’s block” (Yes!! It’s a thing!…. Okay, you caught us. We just made that up…)— you’ll smash those creative obstacles into confetti!
The Personalization Process
Learning how to adequately personalize holiday gifts is both an ART and a SCIENCE. And if done correctly, you’ll breathe new life into older relationships and build meaningful bridges to new ones.
#1 For the person who has everything.
This person is likely also really good at giving gifts and probably shows you up year after year (Darn them!) If you buy her a fancy scarf and she surprises you with round trip plane tickets to Milan… the relationship may SEEM off balance, OR…or it may only feel that way to you. First, STOP COMPETING. Not everyone is operating with the same budget, so there’s no need to feel inadequate. If your friend has the extra funds to give, and she’s chosen to give to YOU, take it as a hint that your relationship is what is important to her, NOT the dollar amount of a gift.
Your gift back to her should reflect THAT. A thoughtful and personal gift is KEY here, because while they may SEEM to have everything that can be bought in a store, what CANNOT be bought … is where you need to shine. This is where a personalized gift is PRICELESS.
#2 For the person who hates the holidays.
You may love this person every other time of the year, but as soon as the tinsel comes out, so does their inner scrooge. As wonderful as the holidays may be to YOU, your friend likely has a good reason for not feeling the same way. Trying to convince them or lightening the mood may make things worse. So… ASK them. Then (and we cannot emphasize this enough) L.I.S.T.E.N. Period.
Whatever the reason they feel the gloom each year…it is VALID. ACCEPT it and don’t try to change it. These are what ultimate friendships are made of. Finally, let them know that you want to honor the friendship during this giving time of year, but you also want to respect their boundaries. Then look for hints as to what would mean the most to them. This could range anywhere from a sincerely written note outlining what the friendship has meant to you… to an annual trip to the movies. It may even open the door to starting some new traditions that are meaningful to both of you, and belong ONLY to you.
#3 For your Secret Santa (or Hannukah Harry) recipient.
These tend to show up at work, school, athletic teams and youth groups. The best news here is that you are typically given a dollar range and sometimes even a previously filled out form by your person TELLING you exactly what you need to know. (so easy we are wondering why you are struggling with this one at all…. sheesh!) You may not know them well, but at the very least, you’ve just learned that their favorite color is purple. So GO CRAZEEEEE with everything purple you can find. Ornaments, driedles, zip drives, notepads… complete it with some purple jelly beans and purple gift wrap and your GOLDEN (not to be confused with purple).
#4 For the overly critical.
You know exactly who we are talking about. Everyone has SOMEONE in their life who is IMPOSSIBLE to please, and you’ve likely spent more time trying to please them than anyone else on your gift list. (We did NOT mean to imply your Mother-in-Law. She’s GREAT. No really…) This is where personalization is going to help you most. How can anyone criticize a gift that has obviously had a lot of thought put into it? Putting their name, or their favorite phrase on just about ANYTHING useful should suffice. (…and don’t take the grimace personally. WE think you are AHHHHMAZING.)
#5 For the New-ISH relationship.
Ooooh, boy. This one can be tricky. So, you just started dating someone… and you are in that place of “I like you, but I’m not sure I LIKE YOU like you” and you’re caught between the relationship being TOO BRAND SPANKING NEW to exchange meaningful gifts just yet… and not wanting to get caught EMPTY-HANDED. (aaaaawwwwkward…)
Don’t overcomplicate things. Describe the relationship in one word as it is RIGHT NOW.
Fun? Laidback? Flirtatious? Interesting? Romantic? OMG He’s my DEFINITE Soul Mate? (Okay. You can use more than one word.)
Whatever word(s) you used to describe the relationship should ALSO describe the gift you give them. If it’s anything MORE than how you see your personal connection, you’ve gone too far and you may be bordering on unrealistic expectations. If it’s LESS, you need to up the ante.
Congratulations. You are now PERSONALIZATION CERTIFIED.