Dream Gifts vs. Gift Cards
I keep a short list of gifts I know each person who is important to me would love to receive. I add to the list when I hear one of my loved ones mention in an off hand way that they would like to have this or that. I also add to it when a truly inspired idea comes to mind. Granted, some of the items are a little more pie in the sky than others: world series tickets, a trip to Israel, a new SeaDoo, and an overnight stay in Cinderella’s Castle in Disney World. On the other hand, it’s helpful to be able to look at my list and see things like a bottle of Red Door or suede Birkenstock clogs and if I happen to see them on sale I can just pick them up and tuck them away in my gift closet.
I will admit that I still do some last minute scrambling around birthdays. The family grapevine will start buzzing and I will realize that what someone actually wants wasn’t an item I actually thought to put on my list. This year I bought my sister a mint condition Happy Baby doll from the early 70s and ended up giving it to her quite late; because I did not find out she had wanted one until right before her birthday. Bad timing aside, it sure was cool to see her face when I handed her the doll.
Sometimes I want to be that person who just hands out gift certificates for every holiday and special occasion. So far, I have been able to ward off that temptation. Gift giving is something I enjoy as much as the receiving part. In fact, I probably enjoy giving more. Until I am too ill to leave my bed, I want to take the time to buy and make special gifts. I have no issue with gift cards in general and I actually really like getting them, but when it comes to being a gift giver I still enjoy the process enough that giving certificates would mean I was missing out on my favorite part of the process.
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