Thinking about what impression our gift will make, we run the risk of making a mistake. On the eve of February 14 and 23 and March 8, you can find a lot of advice on the Internet about what, to whom and how to give. We decided to go the other way: collect research data and leave it up to you to figure out the formula for the perfect gift.
There are several holidays ahead of us – these are February 14, February 23, and March 8. Someone is waiting for them with impatience, and someone – with excitement or even anxiety. After all, the closer the dates, the more clearly the question arises before us: what to give to relatives, friends, colleagues? Many want to congratulate, and it is so difficult to decide what to give and to whom. It is necessary to take into account the tastes and habits of everyone, remember if he did not mention in the conversation what he would like to receive. It’s so easy to be tempted to choose from a list of templates on the Internet, or even present money in an envelope. But it’s better not to look for easy ways – after all, our relationship with the addressee sometimes depends on whether the gift is in place.
The problems with choosing a gift are familiar to many of us. This is confirmed by the data of a survey* conducted by MasterCard:
- 6 out of 10 (58%) Russian respondents admitted that they had ever received an ill-conceived gift.
- 9% of men and 5% of women buy gifts at the last moment.
- 50% of respondents have ever received an inappropriate gift from a loved one.
- One in four believes that the gift is bad because it was not thought out enough.
- Only 9% consider the price of a gift important.
- Half of Russians consider money an unsuccessful gift. Other bad gifts include office supplies, a vacuum cleaner, kitchen utensils, electronics, bath products, and linens.
Why are we wrong?
Psychologists have noticed that we often perceive a gift as an occasion to earn praise. Therefore, it is important for us that it be expensive, beautiful, unique. The one who receives a gift, on the contrary, perceives it in the context of his life: he correlates it with his plans, desires, with how convenient and practical it is. Psychologists suggested that the participants of the experiment choose a coffee machine that they would like to present to a colleague or friend. “Donators” took the one that was more expensive and was equipped with a large number of functions. But the “recipients” proceeded from what model is more convenient to use and more reliable. They also preferred to go to a restaurant that was more convenient to get to and that they already knew, rather than one that was more expensive and luxurious.
Perhaps difficulties arise when we consider a gift as an extension of ourselves – and unconsciously want our addressee to appreciate our taste first of all, and not concern for his tastes and desires.
Caring is in the details
Another common mistake is not paying attention to the congratulatory ritual. We invest in finding and buying a gift and forget about what is behind it – our attitude towards a person. You can choose a ready-made postcard with a witty inscription, but it will not touch you like handwritten wishes. Even such a seemingly minor detail as a wrapper can tell the recipient a lot about our attitude towards him.
Psychologists have long noticed that a gift wrapped with your own hands pleases the recipient more than a packaged item. So we seem to say to another: “I care about you. It is important to me that your gift remains intact. You can choose when to open it.”
Finally, the process itself can give pleasure to ourselves: take crispy wrapping paper, boxes with gifts, pour yourself a cup of fragrant tea, turn on New Year’s music … It seems that the holiday is already here!
* The survey was conducted by Toluna on behalf of MasterCard from 1 to 15 October 2014. 15 people took part in the survey.