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The Thoughtful Touch: Tips for Buying Personalized Gifts for Everyone on Your List

Black chocolate with red ribbon and tag "heart"

They say that giving is better than receiving, especially when you give a thoughtful present that really shows you care. Anyone can grab a pre-fab bouquet at a convenience store and hand it to their special someone to commemorate their birthday or anniversary; it takes a bit of forethought and planning to offer a gift that makes the recipient understand that you put a bit of time and effort into selecting their present. And do you know what? That small amount of forethought and planning is totally worth it.

Meaningful gifts and how to give them

Last winter, Live Science presented a brilliant explanation about ways people can turn the gift buying experience into something meaningful and fulfilling. San Francisco State University psychologist, Ryan Howell, contributed to the article, stating that the #1 way to show you care is to know the person for whom you are buying a gift. When you understand your recipient, you won’t buy them the same thing you buy for anyone else. Give a gift you know the person will enjoy, even if it’s not necessarily something you’d want for yourself.

To give a truly appreciated gift, focus less on the utility of a certain object and look at the ways your special someone would enjoy it. Desirable albeit impractical presents are a sweet frivolity that may endear you to the recipient in unexpected ways. On the other hand, practical gifts may be just as well appreciated, especially when they are gift cards that can be used to stock a kitchen or bath or for a delicious meal at an otherwise unaffordable restaurant.

Give experiences instead of stuff

While a beautiful bauble or a new music CD can make a lovely gift, offering an experience is sure to zoom you to the top of your special someone’s favorite people list. Giving an experiential gift to a kid provides more and better memories than the same amount of money spent on a tangible treat. For instance, you could buy your child a fanciful stuffed bear with several changeable outfits, or you could spend the cash on a trip to the zoo. Which will your child remember years later? If they’re like most kids, they will recall the time you took them to the zoo and showed them real bears.

Gifts that give the recipient a chance to learn a new skill are also popular, especially with teenagers and young adults. If you give your loved one an embroidered pillow, that’s a nice gift. Give that same person a do-it-yourself embroidery kit with a pillow cover, stuffing, instructions and a colorful assortment of embroidery floss and needles, they will think of you all the while they’re working on the project and offer quiet thanks every time they rest their head on their own handcrafted creation.

Why people prefer personalized presents

People tend to be ego-driven creatures and like to show off their name and/or initials. Anyone can wear a pair of pricey jeans that boast a designer’s name on the rear pocket. It takes someone special to commission a tailor to add a recipient’s name to a shirt collar or bathrobe lapel.

Kids are especially fond of wearing their very own name on a tee shirt, jacket or baseball hat. Not only does it make the wearer feel special, personalized garments are less likely to be lost in the locker room or left on the coat rack at school.

Sorts of gifts that can be personalized

The number of potential presents that can be personalized with the recipient’s name is practically unlimited. Pretty stationery embossed with the recipient’s moniker or initials is a nice addition to any student’s homework desk and may even encourage correspondence with real paper and ink instead of typical, one-size-fits-all e-mail.

As mentioned above, garments emblazoned with the recipient’s name or likeness are popular gifts that are always well received. There are all kinds of websites where you can order personalized presents that are sure to please. One of our favorites happens to be www.ZoeysPersonalizedGifts.com, where you can buy kids clothing, baby bibs, custom backpacks and other delightful personalized gifts.

The best way to ensure a happy gift recipient is to put yourself into their shoes for a moment. Whether you buy something new or present your recipient with a treasured family heirloom you know they admire, you will show your special someone just how much they really mean to you.

Louise Heart is a Mom to three daughters and is the type of women who spends hours researching the perfect gift to give to her family and friends, always going the extra mile to make them say wow! She has recently started writing gift/shopping articles and is thrilled to be a part of the online community.

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