When Presents Go Wrong – Prepare Early to Prevent Gift Faux Pas

I’ve already started talking about holiday shopping because we have got to get a jump on it this year. Between supply chain disruptions and second shutdowns, there is a real possibility shopping for gifts will be harder than ever before. And that’s on top of the usual challenge of buying the perfect gift for family and friends.

I love giving gifts, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t ever given a bad gift (I’ve certainly received a few). Unless you have the type of relationship where you can ask directly, “What do you want for Christmas,” it’s up to you to find the perfect present. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves when it comes to gift giving because we believe the gift will say something about our relationship with the individual. And there is some truth to that idea.

According to the BBC, “Although giving gifts can make you happy, communicate your feelings toward the receiver and even strengthen relationships, a less-than-stellar gift can have the opposite effect. […] Research has also showed that undesirable gifts can sometimes negatively impact the receiver’s perception of a relationship’s future potential.”

Hence the perfect present pressure. Here are some of the common gift giving faux pas.

Thoughtful or Thoughtless

Your gift will be seen as either thoughtful or thoughtless. A friend shared this Christmas gift story with me:

On the first Christmas with my new sister-in-law, I was excited to finally share the holidays with a new sister. I searched for the perfect feminine gift. I chose a gift set of Lush bath bombs because I absolutely adore my quiet bath time and think Lush products are the best of the best. As we prepared to exchange gifts, my new sister-in-law presented my gift first. She got me a nice neutral colored handbag. It was nice, but it didn’t match my normal bold colors and patterns. She commented that her husband (my brother-in-law) shared that he always gave me bath stuff, and she told him she couldn’t give someone in the family something as mundane as bath products… And then she opened her gift of bath products. We didn’t know one another well enough yet and were trying to be thoughtful, but both of our gifts looked thoughtless.

Have you ever chosen a gift that later seemed thoughtless? Have you ever been given something that showed the gift giver didn’t really know you?

Big Spender or Cheap

There is also the worry of whether the gift(s) you choose will make you look like a big spender or a cheapskate. If you spend significantly more, the other person may feel uncomfortable. On the other side, if you spend significantly less, you worry they will think you don’t care enough to spend more money on their gift.

Prevent Gift Giving Anxiety with the Help of a Gift Advisor

If these types of worries cause you to suffer from gift-giving anxiety, you’re not alone. Many women feel stressed about buying perfect presents for everyone in their life. The problem is that we just don’t have time to work, take care of kids, and buy a worry-free gift for everyone on our list.

That’s where a gift advisor comes in. I am honored to work as a gift advisor for Neiman Marcus. Gift advisors take the guesswork out of holiday gift giving and will curate a list of the perfect presents for everyone on your list. Simply take a quiz to identify your gift giving needs to be paired with a gift advising expert.