Arts Ribbon

The Lost Art Of Gift Giving

Our wedding gifts were everything we expected. Literally. That’s because it was all stuff we registered for. I’m not saying it’s not a good idea to register for gifts. It’s prevented many ugly fruit bowls and multiples of something. (I remember my best friend’s wedding shower where she unwrapped an anodized cookware set, squealed with glee, then unwrapped another, and then one more. It was very awkward.)

This is what is great about registries. You are able to be sure that the gift you’re giving is something they want, and that someone else has not already gotten it for them. Unfortunately, what has happened is that all the thought has gone out of it. It’s so easy to go to the store, pick something from the list, pay for it, and be done. But it really is the thought that counts.

The whole thing actually did not hit me until my new husband and I were taking our wedding gifts and putting them away. All of the pretty dishes and silverware, the frames and sheets, they really were lovely. But my husband simply could not stop picking up the gift his cousin had bought him. It was the Alvarez acoustic guitar he had been wanting.

His cousin remembered he wanted one, and took the time and effort to get one rather than just fall back on the registry gifts! It certainly would have been easier, especially because my husband’s cousin (like many men) hated to shop. But that one gift meant more to my husband than any present he had been given in a long time.

At that moment I also realized I was dying to get my hands on a gift my sister gave me. It was a box full of scrapbooking stuff. Beautiful scrapbooking papers, rubber stamps, pretty ribbon, paper punches, and so much more. I could not wait until I got all this other stuff put away so I could start creating scrapbook pages of our wedding photos.

My sister know how much I loved scrapbooking and she took the time to get me something she knew I would enjoy a great deal. The point is that these gifts were personal, and the only ones we really treasured. And as much as I can appreciate a registry, if getting a few extra diaper pails at my baby shower means on the other hand I’ll get thoughtful gifts, I’ll take the risk.

So the next time you have to buy a gift for someone, give it some thought before you go shopping. Of course, if you do not know them well or you are not the best gift-giver to start with, maybe leaning on the registry is okay. But if you do have any sort of relationship with the person, try not to fall back on what they ask for. Try instead, to give them something they’ll remember forever.

New May Arts Ribbon

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