Shopping for gifts is one of my favorite things to do. When I was little and awaiting Christmas, I would put a lot of thought into what I was going to get for my mom, dad and brother.
My whole family would go to the mall together and take turns shopping with each other for our gifts. For me, it was a great way to reflect on my family members: would my brother prefer a board game or a Nintendo game? Would my mom like a new make-up palette?
My Dad was easy; he always liked coffee and socks, or anything from Canadian Tire. I always tried to remember what I gave the year before and how it was received, so that I knew whether or not that was a good direction to go in.
When I got older and started making my own budget for Christmas presents, choices got a little more complicated because they had to fit my price-range. The first year I made my own Christmas budget, it was for $100 total, and I ended up spending exactly that, but it required extra thought and planning.
I know lots of people aren’t as fond of gift giving as I am, or they get stressed out with shopping. Think of it this way: your gift to a person is your token of appreciation for them. When you keep this in mind you worry less about the
price tag of the item, or its ‘impressiveness’.
Start out by thinking of the occasion you’re giving for. If you’re going to someone’s house for a big holiday meal, you only need to bring a temporary gift, such as a bottle or wine or bouquet of flowers. If you’re giving your mom something for the holiday, you may want your gift to be more enduring.
The second rule of thumb when gift giving is to think of the person you’re giving to. Think of that person’s tastes and needs. For example, if you noticed your roommate loves flavoured hot-chocolate, you could get them a few packets of new flavours, or that your mom is always talking about how much she would like a new linen tablecloth. If you think a person would like what you have in mind, chances are they probably will. If they don’t like it, it’s not the end of the world.
If you see something a person on your gift list will like, and it’s in your budget, buy it when you see it. The item might not last until the holiday shopping season. Also, when that time finally does roll around, you’ll already have one person crossed off your list.
I think it’s important to set a budget for yourself when gift shopping (unless of course you’re Donald Trump, in which case it probably doesn’t matter one iota). Gift giving should be enjoyable for you as well as the recipient, and that’s probably going to be diminished if you become worried about how much you’re spending. An assortment of baked treats, or any other homemade item, can be just as thoughtful and enjoyable as a store bought gift, especially to parents and grandparents, who love that sort of thing up!
Wrapping is a characteristic part of gifts (unless you’re my Papa, in which case if they didn’t wrap it at the store and there wasn’t a wrapping station nearby it was presented in the original store bag). Wrapping paper doesn’t need to be fancy. Brown paper or newspaper is always an acceptable choice for environmental or economically minded givers.
Gift bags are also an environmentally friendly option since they can be reused. Plus gift-wrap allows anticipation and excitement to build in the giver and receiver.
When you receive a gift, always thank the giver enthusiastically, whether you like the present or not. If you do want to exchange the gift this is usually quite easy and the giver shouldn’t be offended since it was their goal to get you something you like. However, for tact’s sake, you might mention this to them quietly alone rather than in front of a group.
So stay calm, remember the point, stick to your budget and enjoy your gift-giving this year.
