My sister gave me with a leather journal last Christmas with my initials pressed on the cover. I have 12 notebooks in my possession. But this one? I keep it with me as Gollum does his ring. That is the quiet magic of customized presents. They make the ordinary into objects. A regular mug holds coffee. Another mug and the handprint of his kids, saying "Worlds okayest dad"? That is his everyday routine, the one that he chooses even in case there are better-looking options in the cupboard.
Think over the frequency of over-thinking gift-giving. useful site We get lost in the trap of analysis and question whether or not they will ever use that gadget or even wear those shoes. Individualism breaks through the clutter. It speaks, This was made for you and only you.
One of my friends Jake was given a cutting board with the handwritten recipe of his grandmother of apple pie. He doesn't even cook much. Nevertheless, it is on his kitchen wall as a piece of art. Each look takes him back to Sunday afternoons at her table, flower dusting everywhere, her laugh in the air.
Behold, these gifts are run on emotional frequency and not utility.
This magic is a thousand times in children. Give a five year old a storybook and make him the hero of the story who slays the dragon and you will see him light up. The name they have in printed letters authenticates their existence as things adults lose. "I’m real enough to be in a book!" It is the unofficial excitement that passes across their small brains.
The democratization of customization under the influence of technology was remarkable. It is now possible to have your cat's judgmental face plastered on socks, canvas prints of your favorite awful karaoke scene or some coordinates as to where you got engaged. The internet reduced us all to designers.
This is where people trip up though, they think that personalization is the same as text addition. The name of your partner on a generic water bottle? Effort, that kindergarten-level. On the other hand, a CD of songs that celebrate the milestones of your relationship that you hand-drew the cover art on? Maximum thoughtfulness.
Gifts by corporations are tricky to do. Workers can detect hypocrisy a mile off. The other company-branded thermos is impersonal. Yet, any individual leather portfolios recognizing their individual accomplishments? People are suddenly made to feel that they are people of real value not of their productivity rates.
Gestures are highly valued by the older generation. Grandpa states that he does not need anything, and this is in fact true. But now give him a photo blanket with great-grandchildren of whom he is so fond? See him get himself in tears saying something is just in his eye.
It is more about quality, rather than flash. Even something of a lower quality that can be personalized still sends the message of waiting to the very end. It is always better to select something well made and then the personal touch. It is a combination that indicates genuine care.
Individuals do not forget the experience of receiving gifts and recall the experience a long time after receiving it. Gifts which are personalized go directly to the emotional touch point. They tell me I know you, without using any words.
That is a thousand times better than another gift card lying in a drawer.