THE GUIDE TO GIFTING

WORTH NOTING
Written By Makenzi Hogan

I’ll skip the commentary on how our capitalistic society has commercialized celebration and dive right into the good stuff, because, let’s face it, you’re not going to overhaul your family’s relationship with gifting this year. You’re probably not going to overhaul any family relationships this year either, but this is a gift guide, not a therapy session.

That said, please note this gifting guide is heavily informed by my family’s gifting culture. As an only child and introvert, I naively believed for years that all families approached holidays and birthdays like mine. Several Christmases in, C is still getting used to my parents’ traditions and my unbridled love of gift giving.

So, please take this with a grain of salt. And if you’re dreading the upcoming holidays, I would suggest you look into becoming an only child.

Honestly… just take everything I say with a grain of salt.

 
 

DO ASK, DO TELL // My family doesn’t f*ck around when it comes to Christmas or birthdays. We send one another wishlists via email weeks in advance — with links, of course. It makes the experience straight forward, stress-free, and well, successful. It can be awkward at first, but just remember, your parents were always Santa.

GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT // Full stop. This means if there’s a registry, use it. If they give you a list, shop from it. As I see it, gifting is a delicate balance of recognizing the recipient for who they are, referencing the nature of your relationship, and showing your love for them. Sure, that’s a lot to saddle an inanimate object with, but that’s what registries are for.

LISTEN UP // Then, take notes. I keep a note on my phone where I jot down things my nearest + dearest have mentioned, so that when it’s birthday or Christmas time, I’m not scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas. Sometimes it’s items they’ve specifically cooed over and random things to nurture their interests, other times it’s everyday items I’ve noticed they need but know they’ll never purchase for themselves. This is particularly helpful for the people in your life that “don’t want anything.” I think the practice is particularly meaningful for smaller gifts, as it conveys a sense of attentiveness.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY // I think our culture tells us “more is more,” that you quantity is more important than quality, as if the number of presents under the tree is some meaningful barometer of, well, anything. Don’t feel like you have to get a lot to say a lot. And don’t feel like you have to spend a lot, either. It’s impractical and stressful. Before I get too far into my diatribe on the capitalistic overtones of our Christmas that I promised I’d spare you, I’ll say this: it was the $50 birthday gift — not the most expensive gift — that C loved more than anything else he received for his 30th.

[WHITE] ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM // For the love of God, do not regift that client basket you received. Unless it’s filled with lottery tickets, no one wants it. Speaking of lottery tickets — scratch-offs are a great white elephant gift. My general rules of thumb are as follows…

  • Stick to the budget.

  • Buy something you wouldn’t be bummed to bring home.

START EARLY // There are some who do well under pressure (I live with one of those people). Then, there’s me. While I can only speak for myself, it is nice to relax come Christmas Eve. In fact, I’d recommend you get the majority of your shopping done during Cyber Weekend and pepper in a couple afternoons of hitting up local shops to supplement your online finds. Speaking of which…

SHOP LOCAL // Not only does shopping local have important economic benefits for your local economy, locally-owned shops usually deliver a more inspiring, diverse selection of goods than most big box stores. It’s also the best option for procrastinators. Here are a few of the local gift guides I’ve curated for clients this season… Shop small from afar!

Makenzi Hogan
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