By Brenda Panjvani

The next time you need to buy someone a gift, think twice. Gift giving is an essential part of human society, but it’s easy to lose sight of why we do it. And without knowing why, how can we expect to do it well? Ultimately, we give gifts because we want to make someone feel good and we want them to remember that feeling. So by starting with the goal of “making a memory,” you’ve made the first step toward being a successful gift-giver.

Giving a gift often starts with a well known occasion, like a birthday or anniversary. But the best gift-givers look beyond traditional celebrations for meaningful moments in everyday life that can be made memorable. I used to live in a house that had been in my family for many years, and when it was eventually time to sell it, I realized that this was an opportunity to do something special. Together with my children, we prepared a time capsule, filled it with memorabilia, and with proper ceremony buried it in the back yard. Instead of mourning our departure from a beloved home, we celebrated it by giving a “gift” to the house itself, as well as to ourselves, and quite possibly to someone in the future.

Although giving a gift implies the transfer of something physical, it’s really about creating a memorable experience. Prior to repainting my son’s bedroom, we gave him two paintball guns and ammunition and officially declared the room a war zone. (We were going to re-paint it anyway!) The “gift” wasn’t the guns and ammunition, it was the fun we had blasting each other and making a mess of the room. So start by asking yourself, “what type of experience do I want to create?” Once you’re able to answer this question, then the rest is usually quite easy.

For my husband’s 40^th birthday, we staged a pub crawl with friends, and I custom printed T-shirts listing all the pubs we would visit under a pint of beer… just like his favorite rock bands did when they went on tour. Not only did the T-shirts give the event a certain authenticity, but they also became great souvenirs.

If you aren’t able to make or customize something yourself, public markets can be a great place to find original hand-crafted items. Larger cities may also hold craft shows or “one-of-a-kind” shows once or twice a year. Or you may want to visit the smaller towns in your area where local artisans tend to live and work. Finally, there are countless online boutique retailers carrying a variety of unique items that you can purchase from the comfort of your home.

With a little thought, anyone can become a successful gift giver. It’s all about taking an everyday moment in life and turning it into an occasion, creating an experience that will delight your friends and family, and incorporating something unique into the event. It’s all about making memories.

About the author

Brenda Panjvani is the founder of TimeWellSpentGifts.com, a Canadian online gift store featuring unique hand made and one of a kind gift ideas specially targeted at Women over 40, and those who shop for them.

Categories: Expat Life, Other Articles
Tags: features, time well spent