The gift-giving practice has its roots at the beginning of civilisation; it may have predated it. In the earlier times, different studies show that cave dwellers used to give presents in the form of unusually shaped stones, for example, animal shapes etc. Gifts have evolved, and now we have gifts for every occasion that range from thoughtful to savoury to personalised and much more.
Gifts for Every Occasion
Birthdays, baby showers, housewarming parties, anniversaries, father’s day, Friendship Day, Mother’s Day, Raksha Bandhan, Valentine’s Day, engagement parties, Christmas, new year, and the list of gift-giving occasions never stops. For every occasion, we have curated a list of five versatile gifts that you can give to your loved ones.
Personalised Flower Arrangement
Nothing goes wrong with a set of blooming flowers arranged in an alluring manner with a customised heartfelt message note.
Heavenly Bakes
Your loved one’s favourite flavoured cake, cookies or any other dessert will add grace to their special days and fill them with more sweetness.
Printed Cushion
Your confidant’s favourite photo printed on a fluffy and graceful cushion will be an added charm to their beautiful room decor.
Wall Frames
A customised and quirky wall frame with their photos, quotations, and abstract paper cutouts will be a fantastic gift for anyone on any occasion.
Mugs and Bottle Combo
A set of personalised coffee mugs and a photo-printed bottle combo will be a great gift to your loved ones on their special days.
The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving Practice
To make any occasion special and extra memorable, we exchange gifts. But the question, “Why do we give gifts?” ever crossed your mind? If yes, then we, in this space, will provide you with the answer to this question. The psychology of giving gifts is an exciting area, and we should all think about it.
Firstly, there are two primary objectives for giving gifts:
- When we give gifts, we always expect to make the recipient happy.
- We also hope to strengthen the relationship between the gift giver and the receiver while giving gifts.
While giving gifts, the following psychological reasons play a vital role:
- A proper way of showing love and care towards one’s favourite person- we do not go and randomly give gifts to anyone. If somebody is gifting anyone something, they mean a lot to that person. The famous theory of ‘symbolic interactionism’ states that people tend to communicate through symbols, and here gifts become the symbols of love, care, affection and appreciation.
- Gifts have the ability to communicate symbolically. Have you ever felt let down by the gifts you received on your birthday? Why did you feel bad and irritated after receiving the gift you did not like? It is the thought that matters, right? It happens when people attach symbolic meaning to the gifts they receive on their special days. By attaching symbolic importance to the gifts, we tend to forget the thought and intentions of the gift giver.
- Many people give gifts because they feel indebted. To better understand this point, imagine a situation where you receive a rather expensive gift from one of your friends, and you think you will have to give something because you have provided that. You feel indebted and believe that you owe something and give a gift on their day. This psychology works in reverse, too. We give something and expect to get something else in return.
- Sometimes, we give gifts items to help others. In this, we do not expect a return gift and give something to another person selflessly. In the form of food, money and other valuable items, we provide grants for people who need food, money, and other valuable items. We do this because studies show a sudden dopamine release when we give donations and charity work.
- Gift giving has another associated psychological reason, i.e., people give gifts to find a [partner or mate. If someone wants to impress a girl or a boy, they give them gifts and attract their attention. Studies have shown that men give more gifts to their girlfriends or wives than women. A female tends to give gifts but does not do this to find a mate.
Gifts hold a special place in the recipients’ hearts if received by their favourite people. Gifts play a vital role in our lives. We sometimes give presents on various occasions, and sometimes our culture also requires it; for example, the Hindu festival Diwali is often celebrated by exchanging gifts. Christmas is also one such occasion when we exchange gifts.
