Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the exchange of a few gifts. Often, the right gift doesn’t depend just on spending a lot of money – after all, the person you’re shopping for can just as easily spend money on the thing they really want, rather than having you figure it out.
As such, the gifts that really cut through are the ones that touch an emotional nerve, and that are tailored to the tastes and personality of the person receiving them. If you’re looking to add a personal touch to the gifts you buy, then there are a number of strategies you might pursue. So, what are they?
Focus on interests and hobbies
If you’re shopping for someone with a particular hobby, or who’s expressed an interest in one day picking a particular hobby up, then you might provide them with a small gift that’ll get them started. Think about consumable items, or slightly more luxurious versions of the items they’re already using. If you’re shopping for an aspiring artist, for example, you might go out and buy them some more expensive paper. That way, you can be sure that you’re not getting them something that will end up in the bin.
Write a Christmas card
A Christmas card is a tradition that cries out for a personal touch. You can buy Christmas cards in all shapes and sizes, and pen a personalised message on the interior. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to come up with a special message – even if it’s just a few lines, they’ll be worth writing.
Add a wax seal
In the olden days, when a person wanted to demonstrate that they had sent a particular letter, they would seal it with wax, and a unique, personalised stamp. This would not only prove who’d sent the letter, but that no one had read it in transit. This is a practice that’s died out in recent years (though it still survives in things like digital encrypted messaging). If you want to get your own wax seal, you’ll be able to add a personal touch in a matter of moments – and you can have fantastic fun sealing envelopes without the aid of your tongue.
Get crafty with paper and tags
The stuff that you use to dress your gift can represent a fantastic opportunity to set yourself apart from other gift-givers. This is where you have a chance to leverage your own artistic flair. Look for wrapping paper and tags that you can personalise, perhaps with photos and other personal imagery. Or, make your own. If you can forage something from your own garden to use as a decorative element, then you’ll show that you’ve gone the extra mile, too.
