Sara Trudge (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer
Like most people, my first gift giving experiences were as a child making homemade gifts for my parents and picking out gifts at the store for my closest friends’ birthday parties. And while it was fun, it was never that serious for me, and it wasn’t something I looked forward to. I would make whatever we were all making in school for Mother’s or Father’s Day. I would pick out something cool or that I wanted for a friend’s birthday. As I grew older, I became the person who asked people what they wanted and bought exactly that. It was only within the last five years that I began to take gift-giving more seriously. I realized that gift-giving is one of my love languages. It is my way of showing people how deeply I love them and how much I value my relationship with them.
I am now someone who loves to give gifts. I love the people in my life deeply, and giving gifts is a great way for me to express my love for them. I get people birthday and Chiristmas gifts, but sometimes I give them a little something, just because, throughout the year. When I see something I know they will love, I will give it to them the next time I see them. Or if I am hanging out with a friend and I baked something earlier that day, I will give them some.
I like when gifts are well-rounded and thoughtful, so there are a few elements I will always include when gifting for people close to me. The first one is a heartfelt card. I love to reiterate how much I love, appreciate and cherish my loved ones. I always find cards meaningful, so I will always write one when giving a gift.
The second element is something handmade. For the past three years I have asked my friends what I can crochet or bake for them. My go-to baked goods are cookies, muffins, simple cakes, scones and biscuits. I now know what each person prefers, what flavour combinations they love and what their favourites are. When crocheting I will either make something specific they asked for or make something small, like a key chain, bag charm or coaster.
Finally, I will get them what they asked me to and I will add personalized add-ons to elevate the gift. These are almost always my favourite parts. I love seeking out gifts that I know people will love. Sometimes it’s chocolate, skincare or makeup products, little stuffed animals, knick-knacks, or something related to their hobbies.
Buying gifts in advance has also been a great habit I started implementing a couple of years back. When I see something I know someone will love, I will buy it and put it aside for the next event that requires a gift. This has come in handy, especially with Christmas shopping. It allows shopping to feel less overwhelming and expensive. I no longer spend a bunch of money in the month of December because I’m buying everyone’s gifts. Every year it is a goal of mine to finish all of my Christmas shopping by December 1st, so I am not in a rush or shopping in crowds like everyone else.
I have also started to think outside of the box with gifts. Most of us think of physical things for gifts, but I have found that giving experiences as gifts is better for some people. There are some people in my life who are hard to shop for, and it has made my life so much easier to go to dinner or an event together instead of buying something physical, like attending a concert or sporting event. It allows me to celebrate and spend time with the people I love and be happy that I gave them a gift when they don’t know what they want, claim they don’t want anything or don’t want anything physical.
I look forward to giving gifts. I put a lot of love, thought and appreciation into it and I hope everyone to whom I give gifts can see that. What has been a gift giving habit that has helped you recently?
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