Tips for Giving Gifts

Christmas is just around the corner, items are flying off the shelf as gifts. Black Friday luckily comes before Christmas for the Americans who can snap up great deals for christmas presents so early, talk about killing two birds with one stone. However, when it comes to giving gifts, what to get and exactly who to buy gifts for remain a mistery for some of us. Do you know what the receiver of the give actually likes and what they do not? Worst of all, have you waited until last minute to get a gift? Despair not, here are some tips you can have in mind when deciding what gift to give.

• Education: What does the person like? If you don't know the person very well, then this is a tough choice but if you do, then that's great as there will be something they have been talking about wanting for a while that you have to listen out for. If not, then ask around as someone else may have heard something in your circle. In a case where you cannot find out what the person wants, then educate yourself on the latest trends and the common gifts available for the age range, for example.

• Etiquette: What is an adequate gift to give for someone you don't know very well? Probably one of the worse thing that can happen when giving a gift is giving an offensive or just an inappropriate gift. The type and budget of the gift will depend on the relationship between you and the person you intend to gift. If you intend to give cash, decide on giving this creatively; like in a card, as vouchers, piggy banks for kids, etc. Does the person have a personal (diabetic, vegan) or religious affinity that prevents certain types of gifts from being given? Your favorite store may be their least favorite, so find out in terms of giving vouchers. Don't choose gifts based on your personal preference.

• Business or Corporate Gifts: It is important to know your company policy on gift giving, both to internal co-workers and external partners or suppliers. Some gifts may be seen as trying to buy preferential relationships for example so thread carefully in Business gifting.

• Budget: As the saying goes, 'not all coats are cut in equal sizes' and when it comes to how much to spend on a gift, the choice is completely personal based on how much you can afford or how much you think reasonable. There are no rules but mind you, if the gift recipient wants an expensive gift you cannot afford (kids are known to pull this request a lot!), then you can look around and pull funds from other friends/family members or kindly tell the person you cannot afford this but can contribute towards this :) 

• Quantity: Again, depending on your relationship with the recipient of the gift, this will determine how many gifts to get. This point matters most to kids and partners.

• Handmade/Personalised Gift: This is the best gift idea for those who are very fussy and un-commercial. To pull this off, you will need to get your thinking hat on, research and learning of a craft will also be needed if you are not usually skilled with arts/crafts. http://www.etsy.com and eBay are gold-mines when it comes to finding hand-crafted and unique gifts. 

On a final note, note that sometimes you will be at a crossroads where you cannot give a gift at the time of the occassion, it is perfectly okay to give belated gifts!
 Happy Holidays