Hello, do you like my gift?
I was recently invited to a ladies’ Christmas luncheon. I was excited about going, except for one detail—everyone was asked to bring a gift to exchange.
Perhaps you are someone who finds it enjoyable to purchase gifts for others, even those you don’t know well. Perhaps I am the only one whose stomach tightens at the thought of selecting a nice-but-inexpensive gift for some complete stranger.
Perhaps, although I suspect I am not alone in my gift-giving angst.
It’s not that I don’t like giving gifts.
I enjoy searching for and giving gifts that I know will make the recipient happy. I love bringing joy to someone through a thoughtful gift, given in love. But when it comes to selecting gifts for someone who:
A) I don’t know well, or
B) whose taste I am not sure of,
I frequently find myself bemused and anxious. Especially in a situation like the luncheon, where I am not only unfamiliar with the attendees but have never participated before, and thus don’t know the unspoken expectations surrounding what makes a suitable gift.
Oh, the stress…
- How am I supposed to know what someone else thinks is nice?
- What if they don’t like my taste?
- What if I completely misjudge the expected value? (Admit it, how often do people actually follow the “suggested dollar amount” when buying gifts?)
Maybe I am hopelessly non-fluent in this whole gift-giving love language.
Maybe I am totally missing the point of these party-with-gift-exchange events.
Maybe my practical, engineer’s brain insists that any gift that does not fulfill a direct need or desire is a waste of money.
Whatever the reason, I break into a cold sweat when confronted with choosing a gift when I am not sure what kind of gift will be best. (Did I mention that I am a big fan of Amazon wish lists? I love knowing exactly what someone else wants or needs.)
So, for those of you who find gift-giving second nature, and who can somehow figure out what others like without being told—bravo! We appreciate you.
But please understand not everyone has your gift-selection savvy. Some of us flounder. We desperately want to give gifts that delight, but we are pretty clueless about what those gifts might be. We need some grace and we need some help. (Preferably in the form of specific suggestions for things you might like.)
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, I’m off to the store to wander up and down the aisles trying to find a gift or two.
‘Tis the season. Sigh.
