GRANDMA FOREVER

A gift becomes truly special when you take out the time to choose it well. The receiver is bound to feel pleased with a gift that has some connection to their personality. It proves that you have put in thought and effort to make them feel special and loved. Gift-giving is more than just an exchange of material presents. There is an entire psychology behind this act and it tells you why gift-giving is so important from an emotional point of view and how it strengthens relationships and bonds.

1. Philosophy & Psychology of Gift Giving

Gift giving and receiving is one of the most important aspects of celebrating festivals and holidays. Besides being a ritual, the act of giving gifts also has numerous psychological benefits, both for the giver and receiver. It is a way of expressing gratitude, love and appreciation and goes a long way in strengthening bonds with family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

According to Devin A. Byrd, Ph.D., chair and associate professor, Department of Behavioral Sciences at South University, Savannah, an individual experiences an “emotional lift” while looking for a gift. In a sense, gift exchanges could reveal how you think about the other person and what they enjoy and value. It says a lot about your relationship with that person and how you wish to strengthen it.

A lot of research is being conducted on the different aspects associated with gift-giving such as how people select gifts, what goes into understanding the likes and dislikes of the receiver and the impact of gift-giving on the relationship. This research suggests that gift-giving has been followed as a ritual in numerous cultures for more than forty years. People give gifts to each other when celebrating various life events, as a way of nurturing close relationships, for encouraging economic exchange and for socializing purposes.

Gift-Giving in Primitive Culture

Marcel Mauss, a French anthropologist, wrote an essay in 1954 and gave a detailed analysis of the process of gift-giving. He examined gift-giving as an act in different primitive, isolated societies and came to the conclusion that gift-giving was a self-perpetuating scheme of reciprocity. He offered a summary of three kinds of obligations that preserve gift-giving:

An obligation to give

An obligation to receive and

An obligation to repay

A large percentage of the gift exchanges which are aimed at safeguarding social ties and relationships take place within a structure at ritualized occasions like Christmas, birthdays etc. Such ritualized occasions contribute towards the maintenance of established relationships. A series of gift exchanges (following the principle of reciprocity) help in building transactional relationships between individuals.

Role of Perceptions in Gift Giving

Every now and then people face a creative challenge when they have to find a gift for somebody, a gift that would be appreciated.

Those who are more perceptive than the other will understand that such a challenge involves quite a bit of psychology. So what is the psychology behind gift-giving?

Well, the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the person who is giving the gift come first. And then due consideration needs to be given to the thoughts, feelings and emotions of the receiver as well.

Social psychology can greatly help in solving the puzzle of gift-giving – what to give, how to give, whom to give and when to give. Early research done on gift giving reveals that the process of ‘gift shopping’ itself could be the first area of examination when studying the psychology behind gift giving. For instance, women are found to be more interested in gift shopping as compared to men (this may be more true for “traditional” men).

What does a gift say about you?

Generally speaking, you can adopt two different strategies when trying to buy the “perfect gift” for someone. These are:

Recipient-focused

Giver-focused

If you decide to adopt the recipient-focus strategy, then you will need to find a gift which in some way reflects the personality of the receiver. For instance, purchasing a painting done by your friend’s artist is an example of recipient-focused gift giving.

In the second strategy, i.e. giver-focused gift giving, you might consider looking for something which reflects your own personality or interests. For instance, you could buy a book for your friend that is written by your favorite author. In this way, you are sharing something about yourself with your friend through a gift. This is an example of giver-focused gifting.

Gift Giving is good for Mental Health

We have all experienced an immense sense of satisfaction upon seeing the joy and gratitude on the face of somebody who has received a gift from us. It is one of the most common and effective ways of expressing feelings and emotions, especially to those with whom you share a close relationship, e.g. parents, spouse, children, grandparents, friends etc. By giving a gift, you are often reinforcing acknowledgement and appreciation of one another in the relationship.

Psychologists are of the opinion that gift-giving stimulates a good feeling inside an individual. And it also has certain extrinsic benefits.

When gifts are exchanged between friends, the process usually involves a lot of thinking. However, in the case of a romantic relationship, the two people may also place a lot of emphasis on the ‘sentiment’. Simply put, gift-giving reflects the intensity of our connection with a certain individual.

According to psychologists, another concept behind gift giving is using it as a means to minimize guilt. Sometimes you may find yourself in situation wherein you are unable to attend a special occasion or a celebration of a loved one. At such times, you may send them a gift instead to ‘make up’ for your absence. You may feel hugely satisfied if you are able to get the right gift for the person as you know it would make them extremely happy and they may overlook your inability to make it their special occasion. And of course, it helps in reducing the guilt too.

Psychological research on gift-giving indicates that people tend to feel happier when the gift they receive is something that they had themselves asked for rather than it being a surprise or something which they didn’t want. When the gift giver and receiver are not on the same page, the gift giving process may become complicated, involving a lot of guess work and doubt. You could actually discreetly ask the receiver about what they would like to get as a gift on a festival or special occasion. This way you are guaranteed to get a positive reaction from them when they receive the gift.

2. Occasions for Gift Giving

There are multiple occasions that would require you to present a gift or gifts to people around you. Besides the holiday season (Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s etc.), there are other special occasions that call for a celebration and gifting. Some of the most common events at which gifts are exchanged include:

Birthdays

Holidays

Weddings

Anniversaries

Graduation

Birth of a baby

Corporate gifting

House-warming

Farewell gifts/Moving-away gifts

Choosing Gifts for Different Occasions

Each occasion/festival is unique and when it comes to gifting, the ‘one-size-fits-all’ philosophy definitely doesn’t work. Let’s look at some of the important celebrations and holidays which send us off gift shopping every year:

Christmas

Christmas is a huge festival for everyone. In fact, children associate Christmas primarily with gifts! They believe that Santa Claus will remember to get them everything they wrote on their ‘Christmas gift list’ and that they will find the presents wrapped up and placed under the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. Such is the excitement around gifts during Christmas.

Christmas is one of those times of the year when you start hunting for suitable gifts to give to everyone. Gift exchange during Christmas time is very common and a major part of the entire festivity and celebration. You may need to get gifts for your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and various other people. The type of gift given to somebody is usually determined by the closeness of the relationship as well as the personality (interests, likes, taste etc.) of the person.

If you’re looking to give a gift to a close family member, try and make it more personal. You can start planning for it well in advance so that you don’t feel stressed out close to the festival. For example, if your child has been eying a particular toy at the toy store for a while now, you could pick it up as a Christmas gift for them. This will guaranteed make them very happy and they would also appreciate the fact that you remembered them expressing interest in that toy earlier. Similarly, think of the likes and interests of your family members before you begin Christmas gift shopping for them.

For colleagues and other acquaintances, you could pick out more generalized gifts such as coffee mugs, stationary, mobile accessories, home artifacts and so on.

Birthdays

When you think of birthdays, you instantly think of flowers and a cake. But sometimes, a thoughtful gift may win you more appreciation and gratitude than flowers and cakes, especially when celebrating the birthday of a family member or friend. Everyone wants to feel special on their birthday, whether a little child or a grown-up adult. And receiving gifts is a big part of feeling special!

If you know your friend well, then it might not be difficult for you to find the right present for them. Some of the most popular gifts given on birthdays include clothes, accessories, books, decorative items, gadgets etc. You could even consider personalizing a birthday gift to make it more meaningful. For example, if you’re buying a photo-frame for your friend on her birthday, get a picture of the both of you to insert in the photo-frame before gifting. This would serve as a nice memory of your friendship and a great birthday present!

Anniversary

Irrespective of whether you’re celebrating your first anniversary or your fiftieth anniversary, it is one occasion that demands to be made special. And there is no better way to make this life event special than by gifting something beautiful and thoughtful to your partner. You could consider surprising your spouse with a unique and personalized gift on your anniversary. It would be the ideal way to express your love and adoration for them.

Some ideas for personalized anniversary gifts include personalized wall art, custom-made jewelry, engraved luxury bags/wallets etc.

Weddings

If you don’t wish to gift something as boring and traditional as a ‘toaster’ to the wedded couple, then put some thought into what makes a great wedding gift. You might like to pen down the likes and dislikes, taste, hobbies and professions of the couple before narrowing down on a list of potential wedding gifts.

If you have to present something to a beach loving couple, gift them a set of bathing towels with their initials weaved in! Now that’s an example of a creative and personalized gift. Similarly, you could get them matching soft throws, a set of fancy wine glasses, a decorative bookshelf, an arty mirror etc. Ideally, you should gift the couple something that they are likely to use in the near future. It should be a mix of practical and fancy since most couples starting off their life together may need some useful things in their new set up.

House-Warming

Have you been invited to a house-warming party and had no idea about what to gift to the host? When looking for appropriate house-warming gifts, try and keep the word ‘usability’ in your mind. While it might not always be easy to find a practical gift for the new dwellers, it does make more sense to give them something that they can use in their new home rather than throw away in the garage or closet. Good ideas for house-warming gifts include fancy cutlery, barware, arty décor pieces, wall art, lamps, decorative candles, gift hampers (filled with home goodies), a clock, baking utensils etc.

New-born

If your friend has just rung up with the news of her delivery, a gift is surely bound to mark this special event in her life. Buying presents for the newborn baby isn’t as complicated and you will find plenty of great options at nearly all baby stores. These typically include clothes, mittens, socks, bottles, sterilizers, baby car seats, stuff toys and all other kinds of baby utility items. There are customized gift packages available for boy and girl babies too.

3. Types of Gifts

We typically receive gifts on occasions such as birthdays, festivals and other special life events. Gifts are special because they celebrate the relationship between two people. A lot of care and thought may go into buying a gift. This is why they are so cherished by the receiver.

Sometimes the gift is exactly what you wanted for a long time and could not buy for yourself. All said and done, receiving gifts is always exciting.

There are so many different types of gifts that you can choose from. Buying practical gifts that the receiver can actually use for years is an excellent idea. One of the factors that may influence gift buying is the closeness of the relationship shared between the giver and receiver. Another important factor in gift purchase is the budget of the gift giver. A father might want to gift his child something extremely valuable, such as car, on his or her special birthday. Such expensive gifts not only surprise a person but also continue to be cherished by them for years to come.

Similarly, you also need to understand the needs and interests of your friends before buying a gift .If your friend is very fond of cooking or baking, you can gift them a newly launched cook book, a baking dish, muffin cases or even doughnut cutters. Your corporate friends could be gifted note pads, calendars or maybe a lunch tote bag. Then of course there are your teenage nieces and nephews who might cherish latest branded clothes, sportswear, accessories or maybe a monogrammed mug and even a funny throw pillow. You may have friends and relatives who love reading. So they can be gifted latest books and best sellers. You may also gift beautiful home artifacts and decorative pieces to friends who love to do up their homes. This could include tissue and cutlery trays, bedside organizers, dining table organizers, charging stations, bartender glasses, coaster sets, serving trays, etc.

Sometimes you might decide on an unusual gift for a friend or relative. If a person is fond of pets and has been thinking of getting one for a long time, you could think of gifting them a puppy dog! Such a thoughtful gift will surely be cherished for years to come. Your pet lover friends can also feel delighted with pet supplies as gifts. Then there are those who love nature and plants. Such people can be gifted live plants and garden instruments.

The young boys in your families will be delighted to receive toys and video games. Those who love music could be gifted music CDs and maybe if you want to spend a little more, you could gift them musical instruments that they play. Your health conscious friends could be charmed with health and personal care products. A dinner invite at a special restaurant is surely going to delight your food lover friend. Gourmet food hampers are another way to steal somebody’s heart.

The list of gifts that can be given is endless and there is no dearth to ideas depending on how innovative one can get.

Budget-Friendly Gifts

The thought and sentiment behind gifting usually takes precedence over the gift itself. Of course, the gift is important, but for somebody close to you, the value of your emotion is far more meaningful than the value of the material gift. If you have a limited budget in which you wish to make someone happy on a special occasion, you can still choose from a range of different gift categories.

DIY gifts are a great option for those with a strict budget. You could create something creative and beautiful at home and present as a gift to a loved one. For instance, if you have a plain ceramic mug lying in your kitchen cupboard, you can take dig into your craft box and use paints to transform it into an art piece. Try and hunt for embellishments and decorative pieces to paste on the mug. You can gift this as a trendy penholder to your friend or colleague.

Likewise, if you’re a knitter, go ahead and brighten somebody’s holiday season by knitting them a pair of colorful gloves or a scarf! Or if your friend is the knitting enthusiast, a well-designed custom gift for knitters that reflects their love for the art would surely be appreciated.

If your friend is an art lover, here’s another interesting gift that you give them. Obviously, you cannot afford to buy expensive art but there is a way that you can gift them quirky art. Get a print out of a vintage dictionary, frame it and gift it to them. It is guaranteed to put a smile on their face.

Fun and Practical Gifts

We all know of at least one person who would rather ‘use’ a gift rather than ‘keep’ it. Such people prefer receiving utility items rather than decorative gifts. Utility gifts could include coasters, board-games, vacuum cleaner, wine opener, cheese board, baking dish, a collection of music tapes, DVDs, books and so on. The range of such gifts is unlimited. But it’s worth putting in some thought into presenting even a practical gift to someone. For instance, if you know your friend does not take too much interest in baking, it would be useless to gift her something like a muffin tray or a cookie-cutter set. She would simply put in one of the kitchen cupboards and probably never take it out (or pass it on to someone else!). However, if your friend or family member is a movie buff, you would be highly appreciated for gifting them a pack of their favorite DVD movies or TV series.

Experiences as Gifts

Sometimes drifting away from the traditional idea of gifting a material thing might be worth considering. There are people who would love being surprised with a fancy dinner or a short trip to a nearby destination. Similarly, gifting someone a spa treatment or membership to a book club might be excellent gift ideas.

There is no end to the type of gifts you can give to somebody. There are multiple factors that contribute to selecting the right gift including the occasion, budget, relationship, likes/ tastes, and so on.

4. Common Gifts

Gift customization is becoming one the most popular trends, especially among the millennials. Gone are the days when people used to give each other boring and predictable things as gifts. While the basic gift item may not be something completely unusual, you can always add your personal touch to make it more special for the receiver. Here are some of the common types of customized gifts you can get for your friends and family:

T-shirts

Whether it’s Christmas, a birthday, father’s day or any other similar occasion, you can choose to gift a personalized t-shirt to somebody you know pretty well. How do you personalize it? Simply by getting their name or a quote or their zodiac sign or something similar printed on the custom t-shirt. They will surely feel ecstatic to receive a t-shirt that is especially made for them and reflects their personality.

Ladies T-shirts

Hunting for a gift for your friend, sister or mom? All women love fashion. So there is nothing better than gifting them a funky, personalized t-shirt on a special occasion. In fact, you don’t even need a special occasion to gift them something like this. Surprise them by gifting them a t-shirt that has their name and attitude spelt out in bold print! This gesture will go a long way in strengthening your special bond.

Hoodies

Nothing looks cooler than a hoodie in winter season. It is the ultimate fashion statement-cool yet trendy and extremely comfortable. When the holiday season is fast approaching and you’re running out of ideas for gifting, consider getting innovative, customized hoodies for family and friends. They will applaud you both for the gift and the thought that went into personalizing it. You could pick an appropriate color, text and font to make the hoodie gift perfect for the receiver.

Tote bags

Ask any fashionista and they will tell you that they own a tote bag. Yes, it is a must-have in every style lover’s closet because it is not only trendy but also extremely practical. That definitely makes it an excellent gifting option! Tote bags can be worn with anything and everything. They are available in an unlimited number of styles, designs and colors and you will definitely find one that complements the taste of the receiver. For a fashion-loving friend, a tote bag is the perfect gift.

Phone cases

Phone cases are no longer a functional item only. Rather, they’ve come a long way to become one of the trendiest fashion accessories. Your phone case can say a lot about your personality, tastes and interests. This means a phone case could be a great gift for somebody you know very well. You can get a customized phone case with their name (or some other text) printed at the back and give it to them as a thoughtful gift! Remember to be sure about the phone used by the receiver so that you pick a case that is compatible with that specific model.

Coffee mugs

One of the most common gifts received by people is coffee mugs. There is something so warm and endearing about a mug that t never fails to make the receiver happy. Whether it is actually used for drinking a beverage or kept on the desk as a pen holder/decorative piece, the coffee mug continues to be a favorite option on the gift giver’s list. The exchange of personalized coffee mugs is even more popular among friends and family members. An uplifting quote on printed on a coffee mug makes for a wonderful gift for any occasion.

The gift options listed above are usually the safest to give to a friend or loved one, especially if they are customized to incorporate their interests and personality. Besides being trendy, these gifts are also high on the utility factor. So they don’t need to be stacked into a corner of your house, you can actually ‘use’ them.

You can never have enough of t-shirts, mugs, phone cases and bags. So these are things that will always be appreciated by the receiver.

5. How to Choose a Gift for a Loved One/Friend

When it comes to choosing the right gift for a loved one or friend, there are several ways to go about it. You can make a choice by taking into consideration different factors such as those discussed below:

Interests/Hobbies/Passions

One of the most important aspects involved in shopping for gifts is being aware of the interests, hobbies or passions of the receiver. When you have such information, gift selection becomes easier and more enjoyable. For instance, if your friend is a huge fan of coffee, then you can consider giving them a cute coffee mug as a gift on their birthday. Similarly, if a family member is passionate about playing tennis or squash, you could present them with a tennis racket as a gift.

Profession

Sometimes, you may not know a lot about the other person or might have just developed a new friendship with them. In such a scenario, it could be hard to gauge their passions and interests. Similarly, some family members or colleagues may not have any significant interests or hobbies that you can identify for gift-buying. For such people, you could gift them something on the basis of their profession or career.

An example of such a gift could be a trendy laptop bag to carry to work, a vintage timer for the desk, a set of personalized notepads etc.

Some of your friends or family members may have professions that require a lot of dedication but often go unappreciated, for example, nursing or firefighting. Gifts such as nurse t-shirts or firefighter hoodies that have their names printed on them along with a humorous or proud quote could be suitable.

Favorite Sport

When you have to buy a gift for someone who has a favorite sport that he/she follows, then your job automatically becomes easier. For a cricket-loving friend, you could get them a good-quality bat or even a cricket kit, if you’re willing to spend some extra money. If there is a match happening in the city, you could also get your friend tickets to the match as a birthday present.

Animals/Pets

You might have a family member or friend who loves animals and has always wanted to keep a pet dog or cat. Well, a birthday or anniversary might be a good time to surprise them with a furry little friend who they can keep as a pet. Also, if your friend already has a cat at home, you could consider gifting them some trendy cat supplies on an occasion such as Christmas. Complement that gift with a custom printed cat t-shirt that has an awesome quote.

Family

When looking for holiday gifts, such as on Thanksgiving, Easter or Christmas, you might like to take into consideration the family status of the friend or loved one before picking a suitable gift. Several people prefer giving one gift to the entire family instead of getting individual presents for all members. Such gifts are usually household utility items (vacuum cleaner, toaster, heater, rugs, crockery etc.), home décor pieces (paintings, wall art, sculptures, table lamps etc.) or entertainment gifts (board games, video games and DVDs, recorder or music system etc.). When giving such gifts, think about something that the family members might actually need or have been wanting for a long period of time. Also think about the age and lifestyle of the family members. When you put in such thought into gift-giving, it makes the gesture even more special.

Demography

Sometimes you might be visiting a friend or a family member who stays in a different city or country and you wish to carry a gift for them. Gift-shopping in such cases can be centered on the demography of the friend/loved one. For instance, if they stay in a very cold city/country that has winter season for majority of the months in a year, then you could perhaps get them woolens such as a sweater or jacket or gloves as gifts. Similarly, if a person stays in an area that received a lot of rainfall during the monsoon season, you could present them with a trendy raincoat or an umbrella. There are times when your friend or family member might be fond of certain type of coffee that is grown exclusively in your country. In such a case, you could gift them a supply of their favorite coffee beans in a jar when you visit them!

Education

Some of your friends and family members can also be given gifts basis their college education. Remember the character of Ross from the popular TV series called ‘Friends’? He had studied paleontology (the study of dinosaurs) and was extremely passionate about everything to do with dinosaurs. Just like Ross, you might have a friend who has studied an interesting subject in college such as ‘Major in Classical Music’ or ‘Major in Calculus’. Such friends might get excited to receive a gift that has something to do with their college education. For example, your math geek of a friend might be extremely happy when presented with a fun Math puzzle book available in the market.

Often, simple gifts like t-shirts or hoodies printed with quotes expressing their pride for their major would do. For example, if you have a friend who is an engineering major, an engineer t-shirt would be extremely popular among them.

Zodiac Sign

The zodiac sign of a person can give away a lot about their personality, likes, dislikes and habits. You can do some research on the zodiac sign of your friend or loved one before selecting a gift for them. This might help you pick something that suitably matches their personality type. For example, Virgo is a sun sign that loves to plan everything in detail. So for a Virgo friend, you could give them a daily planner as a gift. You can also use the zodiac sign to customize a gift for your friend. For instance, you can get their zodiac sign printed on a t-shirt or a coffee mug and present it to them on their birthday, Christmas etc.

6. Get Customized Gifts at 5amily.com

5amily.com is one of the most exclusive and innovative gifting websites that you could ever come across. It simply takes away the stress of selecting and finalizing a gift for a friend or loved one. 5amily works to create customized gifts based on the overlapping identities and interests of people. And you don’t need to put in any effort to get this done. Simply visit the website and you’ll find your way to the perfect gift in no time.

Here is how it works: When you visit the homepage of 5amily.com, you will be asked to answer a quick survey on your interests, hobbies, profession and general background. Once you fill in the answers to these questions, you will get a series of exciting products (t-shirt, hoodie, coffee mug, phone case, tote bag etc.) that are designed keeping in mind your personality. These will have fun and quirky notes printed on them and you can edit the information in case you wish to change or add something else. Fill in this information for your friend/loved one and create the perfect customized gift for them on 5amily.com.

You can save yourself the effort of going to the mall and walking for hours trying to find the perfect Christmas, anniversary or birthday gift. At 5amily.com, we have something interesting for everyone-friends, family, colleagues, business partners etc. Choose from a range of t-shirts, ladies t-shirts, tote bags, coffee mugs, hoodies and phone cases and customize them in the most innovative way possible! At 5amily, we believe in having fun while gift shopping. You no longer have to think about how to incorporate the various interests and likes of a person into a single gift; we’ll do it for you! Visit us at 5amily.com to explore a whole new world of customized gift shopping.