Eropa

What kind of gift do I give?

Giving gifts is part of our culture. Birthdays, anniversaries, illnesses, weddings and so on. A gift brightens someone up and means that someone cares about you. But we often face the problem of not knowing what to give. Here are some tips.

Gifts

In the Netherlands it is a good custom to give gifts. We give presents for birthdays, parties, dinners, but also on sad occasions to let the other person know that we are there for them . However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to figure out what to give that one person. He or she already has everything and, for example, says he or she doesn’t mind if you don’t bring a gift. Of course you do that anyway, because you want to give the person you care about the feeling that you care about him or her.

Of course, you may also bring a gift out of habit. It is usually even more difficult to come up with something that suits the person. Sometimes you can feel insecure: ,Would he or she like my gift?, It is always difficult to estimate in advance what someone will or will not like. Therefore, try to find out as much personal information as possible about the gift. person in question.

The value of a gift

A large and expensive gift makes a big impression, sometimes too big an impression. A small, carefully selected gift says much more than a pompous and expensive gift. The tips in this article are about gifts that can be bought by people with a normal budget.

Gift cards

It seems easy: ,I don’t know what to give, so I’ll just give a gift voucher., A voucher can indeed be nice and a welcome gift for the recipient. However, it doesn’t really show much care on your part for the person you are giving the voucher to. A gift voucher is very impersonal, but may be a solution for the recipient, because he or she is saving for a major product. For example, a birthday boy or girl often indicates that he or she is interested in gift vouchers. If so, feel free to give a voucher as a gift.

Give a personal gift

Giving a personal gift can sometimes be difficult. In some cases you don’t know the person you are visiting well enough, in other cases you know him or her too well. For example, you often already know what your immediate family has. It can then be difficult to come up with something original. People you don’t know well, you don’t know at all what their taste or home furnishings are.

Tips before you buy a gift

  • Consult someone who knows the person involved well. Find out what food the person you want to buy the gift for likes, does the person like a certain type of wine or chocolates or does he or she perhaps like Italian food, special coffee or tea? Does the person perhaps have a collection for which he or she is still looking for items?
  • Make sure the gift is not too expensive, as this may embarrass the person you are giving the gift to. The person may feel obliged to give you something big as a gift next time, even though he or she may not be as fortunate as you.
  • Something that has to do with food or drink can be very nice, but check in advance whether the recipient of the gift has no allergies to certain foods.
  • If it concerns a child, make sure you know in advance whether it is a boy or a girl and what age the child is. Get advice from the store if you don’t know which toy suits which age.
  • If you want to give a CD or DVD as a gift, first check whether the recipient likes the type of music or film you have in mind.
  • Don’t be tempted to buy pointless gadgets. They seem nice, but soon end up in the closet because people get tired of them.

 

Tips for nice gifts

  • Buy a basket, bowl or saucer. Make this up with different foods from one genre. For example, a basket filled with Italian or French products. Wrap the gift with transparent foil and brightly colored ribbons.
  • Buy a nice bottle of wine, but check whether the recipient likes white or red wine and whether he or she consumes alcohol.
  • You can often make someone who loves cooking happy with special olive oil or truffle oil, the Oil & Vinegar store can put together nice packages and give good advice.
  • At stores such as ,the Soap Factory, you get soaps in all kinds of shapes, colors and scents. Even scents such as chocolate, piƱa colada, rum, sweets, etc. You can have nicely decorated baskets made with this.
  • A coffee or tea shop sells beautifully presented packages with coffee or tea products, including, for example, a coffee mug or a tea glass.
  • You can treat someone who owns an espresso machine with a special type of coffee.
  • During a maternity visit you can make a basket with a number of small gifts, one for each maternity day.
  • Another nice gift for a maternity visit is a diaper cake. You can get these at some gift shops, but you can also make them yourself (there are various examples of how to do this on the internet).
  • At the wedding, there is often a list available of the bridal couple’s wishes. Choose one of the gifts from this and let us know what you have bought or are going to buy from the list.
  • The golden tip: usually a package of carefully selected cheaper gifts works better than one large expensive gift. The fact that you have carefully selected small gifts will make the recipient feel happy and appreciated.