Receiving gifts makes you feel special. When someone remembers your birthday, surprises you with a friendship gift or gets you something to congratulate you or commemorate an occasion special to you, you know that you are loved.
Giving gifts can be even more rewarding than receiving them. To make someone you care about feel loved and to see their happy reaction to your gift can give you such a warm feeling inside. Whether you want to simply cheer someone up or say something to them, a gift is a great way to deliver the message.
What is the right gift to give? Well, the most popular gifts, other than greeting cards, are flowers and candy. I don’t know many people that are not pleased to receive flowers or candy (unless they suffer with allergies or are on a strict diet!). Gift cards or cash gifts are also popular choices, especially when the recipient is ‘difficult to buy for’. All of these popular gift choices are acceptable gifts but there are 3 disadvantages of going with one of these popular gift options:
- As ‘popular’ gifts, they may be common gifts too. Your bunch of flowers may not look as special if your friend has 6 other arrangements from other people. Ideally you would like your gift to be unique and memorable.
- These popular gifts may not be as appropriate to the occasion or show as much though as another gift might. Ideally you want your gift to show thoughtfulness by representing the occasion in some way.
- Most of the popular gift ideas are gone after about 10 days. Flowers die, candy is eaten, money is spent, and cards are thrown out or filed away never to be seen again. Ideally you would like your gift to last.
An increasingly popular gift choice for the discerning gift-giver is a figurine or similar ornamental gift. Improvements in manufacturing processes have made porcelain or poly-resin figurines affordable for any budget and very comparable with the cost of flowers or candy. They are more likely to be unique gifts, show more thought and bring years of joy.
There are many popular series of figurines. Precious Moments are probably the most popular of them all, but there are a number of other brands that provide interesting themes suitable to almost any occasion. You can find pieces designed to commemorate birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s day, graduation and more. There are also ideal figurines for dog lovers, cat lovers, teddy bear lovers, etc. A gift of this nature is a lasting gift that provides a thoughtful and long-term reminder of the occasion.
You can find figurines and other ornamental gifts in many popular greeting card stores and specialty gift stores in most shopping malls. All you need to do is find one appropriate to the person and occasion you are buying for.
Of course, most of the stores you find in shopping malls will only stock figurines that are currently in production. For a gift that is even more special and almost guaranteed to be unique, you could consider a figurine that has been retired by the manufacturer or was produced in a limited edition. Just like a first edition book, older, rarer and limited edition figurines are more sought after, more special and also hold their value better.
Antique stores are the traditional places to hunt down elusive gifts with a special meaning. Although it is always fun to look around an antique store, the chances of finding your perfect gift on any given visit is pretty slim. With the help of the Internet however, the entire world of online antique and specialty collectibles stores is available to you. Combined with the power of search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN, you only need to type something like “25th anniversary figurine” to be presented with relevant results from across the Internet.
The next time you are gift shopping, don’t take the easy way out; give your friend a gift that shows them how much you care and puts an extra big smile on their face! Good luck!!
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