If The Gift Fits...

Now, let me first begin by clarifying that Christmas is not about the gifts, despite how enjoyable they may be! It is a season celebrating the miracle of having Jesus be born into a human body to walk with us on earth. Gift giving is a representation of the three kings presenting majestic gifts to the High King showing gratitude, respect, love, and loyalty. Just as the kings shared, we have carried on the tradition. Although to some, it has consumed their minds making them think it is a holiday for giving and forgetting the true reason for the season. There is something fun about receiving and giving gifts. It’s a way for us to be surprised but also overwhelmed with the ability to be generous to those we love and/or care about. But, to be completely honest, being generous is often the easy part. It's finding the perfect way to give that can become the stress looming over us. It can be exciting and sometimes a bit frustrating to find the perfect surprise. This is a “gift guide”, but in an unconventional sense. Unlike most gift guides that are ordained with examples and a mere list of things that the writer would enjoy, this post will take a more “how to” route.

There Is Always One

There is always that one person that brings up that sensation of joy when choosing their perfect gift. For me, it’s my sister. She is an extremely particular person which brings a level of difficulty to the game, but I have slowly learned to master it. When buying gifts, I try to step out of the realm of everyday or obvious gifts. For some, that is a great way to bless someone, but for me I like the challenge of investigating, secret interrogations, picking up subtle hints, pulling them away from the scent, and acquiring a gift they knew they wanted without ever going to get themselves. It is stepping into a detective's shoes. And like a detective, there will always be times when we are left stumped grasping at straws. The next step is to trust your instincts and guess. I always look at what is going on in their life and ask myself what would benefit them, inspire them, or encourage them. What are their current favorite hobbies, is this something useful or something that will sit there in the back of the closet? Now, there are occasions where a back-of-the-closet gift may need to come into play, but even still, a purpose or joke can help in finding that gift. And typically if we would want to keep the gift ourselves, that's a sign it’s a good gift.

The Parents

90% of people that I talk to agree that parents are the hardest to shop for. They either don’t want anything, have everything, buy it for themselves, or it’s a touch out of the price range. Hence the gift of quality time or for that among the younger generation, coupon books. Quality time is a good gift, I support it, but it is always a great get-out-of-jail-free card. I feel as though moms are by far the easier of the two. They will typically love everything, but it is hard to step out of the path of redundancy. When looking for a gift for my mother, I will ask to see if there is something specific on her wish list and then start my investigation. What has she said has been bothering her, what has she made note of that she liked, what could be replaced, and what stores do I know she likes? These are all questions that flood through my head as I hit the computer scouring for the best way to bless her. Being from the small island of Kauai, there are not many store options so online is the best form of buying anything. However, because our island is not overpopulated by mass chain stores, it allows room for small businesses to roll out their red carpets. Shopping locally is such a fun way of supporting others as well as finding unique gifts that people never knew they needed. Dad’s for some reason are the most challenging of all. Some fathers are stratified by tools and other fix-it type equipment, but then there are others that either already have or don’t necessarily want that. So what is the best gift? Again, research is one's best bet, but if it fails, I have come to learn that one can not go wrong with food. Take them out to dinner, buy them their favorite snack, or make them something. The amazing thing about parents is that they love whatever it is that you get them because they are so blessed by the thought regardless. I can’t even remember the amount of framed pictures my dad received when I was little because I didn’t know what he would like. But he would open them with a smile on his face looking as though I got him the best gift ever! So in a much less helpful route, there is comfort in knowing that no matter what, they will enjoy the thought.

Peoples Opinion

I asked what others typically give their parents, the dad's side was scares, but there were suggestions of cash (thanks for your impute dad, but that’s not what I got you), quality time, socks/something comfortable, something from Lowes, something he suggests, and even a Roomba. The question about what to get moms was a bit more helpful. Some suggestions were: notebooks, pens, pretty grocery shopping lists, quality time, things we find fun, and things she's made comments of but won't take the plunge and buy herself, a homemade gift, chocolate, and something along the lines of self-care such as lotions and bath salts. It’s best to find a pattern of things that they say they want, is it something practical or does it lean more toward the sentimental/fun side? I like to think I am a more practical gift giver, but like most, it can vary depending on who I am shopping for. In asking what others do in regards to finding the perfect gift for their parents, a common comment was a hand-crafted gift made perfect for each recipient. I have been known to share many paintings in my time and my mom still asks for them every year which typically becomes her birthday gift. But, there are so many other ways to create a gift and Pinterest is an amazing resource to acquire ideas and instructions on how to follow through. If you are not a crafty person, Etsy has some amazing handmade gifts. One helpful thing to keep in mind about Etsy, however, is it can be hard to shop without an agenda. Mass searches can cause long nights of searching through all different varieties of things. But, if you wanted something monogrammed…Etsy is the perfect place to look. Another great resource is the beloved Amazon; the top shop that has it all. Especially living on this island, Amazon is our lifeline. They carry everything, and along with that, we can search other people's storefronts to see what they are shopping for or have liked. This opens our horizons or gift ideas as well as we see what our friends and family are looking at.

All This To Say

Gift giving is tapping into our Sherlock Holmes side and becoming aware of our surroundings whether we are surrounded by the recipients or not. Noticing what type of perfume someone wears, their favorite brands, favorite snacks, something they mention they are almost out of, something that should be replaced, or something that might either make their life easier or bring a bit of joy. Gift-giving should be fun and special for both parties involved. We tend to make it this dreaded thing that looms over us. But it shouldn’t be looked at as a chore, it should be looked at as a challenge to find the perfect gift within any price range. Now, I’m not sure how much help this was being a “gift guide”, but I hope it opened a new perspective and helped you find the perfect gift. Typical gift guides have never helped me, but so far, these tactics haven’t failed me. Although in saying that, there will always be that one that makes it impossible to find a gift for.

Whether it helps or not, it’s always fun to see how others go about finding the perfect way to bless someone during the holidays… or even on their birthday. December is upon us which means more Christmas blogs are coming. I would love to hear how you find a gift or what your go-to gift is. If ever in doubt, just get them socks! Hope you had an amazing week. Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram (@theallie.way) and subscribe to receive the blog straight into your email account. Thanks for reading Allie-Cats!

• Dru Allie