Gift giving is something that we love to do. It’s exciting to watch our loved ones open their presents, and it’s lovely to see the look of amazement and joy in their eyes when they see what it is you have bought them.
Yet buying and giving gifts can be a minefield of problems, and it is easy to make a mistake even if you had the very best intentions. So that you can relax a little more regarding giving gifts this holiday season, here are some of the main mistakes you should watch out for and avoid at all costs.
Rushing
We’re all busy, and there isn’t always a lot of time between realizing that we need (or want) to give a gift and the date it needs to be given. However, the problem is then that we rush and pick anything that seems halfway appropriate.
While these gifts may be appreciated, the best gifts are those that have been thought about carefully and organized in advance to ensure that you can show just how much you know and love the recipient.
Make a note in your calendar a month or more before a meaningful gift-giving date to give you enough time to search out something special. That way, you could buy something the recipient is truly going to love, or even have the time to make something yourself to give them. Giving yourself time is always much better than grabbing the first thing in the first store you go to.
Don’t Go Too Big
Massive presents may look exciting, but where is your recipient going to keep it? This is the same whether you are buying for a child or an adult – if the gift is too large, it won’t get used. It will be stored away out of sight and (potentially) forgotten about. If it is used and gets in the way, they won’t enjoy it as much as other presents.
If in doubt, pick something small or something that can be stacked or folded when it needs to be put away. Something that they can hang on the wall is always a good option, and it can tie in with their hobbies or favorite things too; lion photography is a great example of this.
Don’t Regift
Regifting is something that people do when they receive a present they don’t like – they give it away to someone else. While in theory, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, it can cause issues. What if you were to give it to the person who bought it for you? Or a close friend of theirs who might go to their home and spot it?
Regifting is money-saving, but it’s not a particularly kind thing to do, and it can land you in trouble, so think twice before you start wrapping up something you’ve already unwrapped.
Don’t Spend More Than You Can Afford
We’ve all been in the position of wanting to buy something for a loved one and then checking out the price tag and seeing it is just a little (or perhaps even a lot) more than our budget will allow for. Ideas of putting the gift on credit, or buying it anyway and then facing the financial consequences when they come might flit through your mind, but these are not good ideas.
You had a budget for a reason, and you should stick to it. If you spend above your means, you are only setting yourself up for trouble, and a good friend would never expect or want you to do that for them.
*This is a collaborative post