The Personal Gift

Following on from yesterday, this subject deserves more consideration.

Why is a personal gift the best of all? Because

• it shows you that thought about their personality, their needs and their preferences
• it shows you know them - it might show that you know them really well
• it may reflect effort on your part - demonstrating that they are valued
• it's not just a gift, it captures the essence of something that is essentially them, or you, or both of you - perhaps even a shared joke

I have been lucky enough to receive several treasured gifts recently. My son decorated a box and presented it to me filled with 'love'. (No, you couldn't see it or feel it, but it was definitely in there.... Awwww bless!) I recall how determined he was to get his hands on a box at a time when I was busy with other things! We are extremely close, but (not wishing to gender-stereotype) I was touched that a boy would do this, that he wouldn't feel it was too sissy.

My sister gave me a CD she compiled of stories I used to listen as a child. They were by Johnny Morris and contained his characterful animal impressions in the context of life at a zoo. We could all recite our favourite bits... but the singles vanished and may still languish in some neglected and dusty corner of my Mum's loft. It took my sister a year to find them all on eBay and I received the disc in the post on my birthday. She stayed on the phone as I put it into my laptop and together we relived the hilarity. They are still as good as I remember. My son reckons that the stories are better than The Simpsons Movie. Quite an accolade! And my daughter wants them on her iPod. And me - well, I love the stories and she made me feel special.

My daughter got a great gift from a special friend of ours at Christmas - he had noticed that her dog did not have a bed downstairs. He not only found a bed for him (thoughtful and useful) but had it personalised with his name (showing effort) - Oscar the Westie now reclines in some style. I guess personalised gifts will, by their very nature, always be personal!

So, here's some guidelines for choosing more personal gifts. Think about the recipient, do they like...

• music - what kind? do they have a favourite artist?
• books - which author?
• magasines - which one?
• gardening?
• cars?
• sport - which?
• exercise/fitness?
• TV - which programmes? which TV personality?
• art and craft?
• fishing?
• perfume - what kind?
• make-up - what colours/brand?
• cookery?
• antiques?

Do they have...

• a favourite colour?
• a sense of humour?
• any disability?

Are they...

• left-handed?
• romantic
• practical?
• a traditionalist?
• green or eco-friendly?
• ethical, fair-trading, charitable?
• young? elderly?

I expect I'll go back and add to these lists as more ideas occur to me, but meanwhile, maybe I've given you something to mull over. In the days to come, I plan to add lots of suggestions to help you.