The Art of Gift Giving
By: Sabrina Azadi, Newport Coast Moms
Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Thanksgiving, Advent, the Winter Solstice, Yalda, or the New Year, the holidays are a time for connecting, kindness, reflection, and wonder.
A holiday gift is often reminiscent of a certain moment, with the wondrous sights, scents and tastes evoked during a special time of year. The longer winter nights become even more magical with lights or candles, the exchange of gifts, the opening of presents and the well wishes we receive.
With all the wonder that’s associated with opening gifts, gift giving and gift buying can be a time of enormous stress. It can be time-consuming, costly, and challenging to purchase something you think the receiver will love or something that they will use!
Gifts are as much a reflection of the gift giver as well as the person receiving the gift. Gift-giving gurus often dictate that we should always gift from the recipient’s perspective, but we often transfer a trace of ourselves in the process too. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to gift something that you love, which often translates to “one for you, one for me!”
A hostess gift during the holidays could be something for the home as well as something to indulge in. Michael Aram, the designer renowned for his collection of luxurious tabletop décor (and who knows a thing or two about beautiful gifts), says that he likes to gift something to keep and something to eat/drink. We think that’s excellent advice.
Perhaps a cake paired with a cake stand or a bottle of your favorite bubbly with coasters? There’s also something to be said of “practical” gifts something that you know the recipient either needs or will use. There are also gifts that we often won’t buy for ourselves but we are delighted to receive whether it’s gift certificates for a massage or fancy bath salts, (self-care products and experiences), we often appreciate these gift gestures that help us to feel good.
Buying gifts for kids can also be overwhelming depending on how many kids you have and what they like. We find when it comes to kids the “4 gift rule” is very simple yet effective; you get each of your children something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Depending on your kid's age, you might ask them what some or all of these gifts could be, or you might choose them all yourself.
When you think of buying a gift for a loved one or family member, we can get more personal like gifting a fragrance/cologne that you’ll know they will love and create memories with or of course a piece of dazzling jewelry that will capture a sentiment. And although we all know it’s the thought that counts, ultimately, it’s the right kind of gift for the right kind of person and putting yourself in the other person’s shoes that really counts.
And remember whatever gift you receive, whether it’s something you love (or not), gift giving is an ancient ritual that’s really about the act of giving and receiving thanks, it’s about spreading joy and kindness, so always say thank you, take a moment to acknowledge this act of kindness bestowed on you and have an attitude of gratitude.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season.
With Gratitude & Grace,
Newport Coast Moms
Newport Coast Moms is a luxury lifestyle platform highlighting people and businesses in the unique community of Newport Coast and beyond. Their content is created for women with “Substance & Style.” For more, follow them on IG @newportcoastmoms.
