We’ve all been there…
Maybe it’s Christmas, maybe it’s a birthday… Regardless of the occasion, what do you do when you don’t know what gift to get someone?
I pride myself on being a great gift giver…
I made a point of becoming one after I totally failed during a Secret Santa many years ago…
In my defence, I was 17 and totally lacking worldly experience, but the disappointment I felt in giving a gift that had no meaning changed everything.
What does a gift represent?
Is it you giving a gift to someone because it makes you feel good?
Is it you giving a gift because you have to?
Or is it you giving a gift to someone that means something?
Even if it’s a gift you’re giving for a business transaction, you can still be a great gift giver.
The secret to giving a great gift is to take yourself out of the equation. You may see something and think it’s a great gift because it’s something that has meaning to you, but that is giving from your own perspective.
People want to be SEEN for who they are, not through the lens you see them.
Who are they at their core? What do they like? What’s their passion? What can you give them that shows them that you’ve truly seen them?
I was returning something to a department store recently and the woman in front of me was wanting to return a massive giftbox that contained different bottles of sauce. It was a gift she’d received at an office party. It was a beautiful gift with a dozen different bottles all laid out nicely in this box, but I could tell just by her energy it wasn’t her thing.
She didn’t have a receipt so the answer was an outright, ‘No,’ so now she had to work out what to do with it.
Hopefully she knew someone who was an absolute BBQ king to re-gift it to.
There’s nothing wrong with re-gifting an item you’ve been given. Even if you feel uncomfortable about doing that, once it’s given to you it’s yours to do with as you please, but when you receive a gift that has no meaning, it’s soul deflating.
Everyone loves to be seen for who they are instead of through the lens of someone else.
Gift giving is a great way to show someone you truly see them for who they truly are, that you’ve noticed those little things about them that aren’t blatantly obvious, the little things that make their heart sing. You’ve listened to their general conversation…
You’ve taken notice of what they share about themselves.
It doesn’t require you to go out and spend a fortune. It could even be something you’ve made.
It could be you giving of your time.
When you take the time to learn about someone, reading between the lines, listening to what they talk about, noticing what books they read or audio books they listen to, knowing if they’re a minimalist who prefers experiences, or if they’re someone who could just use some time out, and you give a gift that says directly to their heart, ‘I see you,’ that will mean more to that person than anything else in that moment…
They will remember you because of the way you made them feel…
Because you saw them…
And THAT is what will make you THE BEST SOUL ALIGNED GIFT GIVER EVER at any time of the year!
Kathryn xx