I’m not sure about you, but we love putting a lot of thought into Christmas presents. This time of year is a chance to focus one’s energies on the people we love most in the world and to give them something they’ll cherish. It’s heartbreaking, then, when we find ourselves in the position of having bought the wrong thing. By contrast, watching the faces of your loved ones light up at the perfect present is an incredible feeling.
So how do you go about choosing that perfect gift? This year, we asked this question around the office in order to pool our collective wisdom and build a guide to the perfect gift. We were pretty surprised at the brilliance of the team’s insights.
Check out our top 5 tips for making this year’s Christmas prezzies the most memorable ever.
Make it personal
The best gifts we’ve ever received are the ones that make us feel listened to. They’re things that show just how well people know us. If you want to give that kind of gift, you’ll have to think really hard about what your recipient wants and needs. The clues are in those small moments when they dream of the things that make them truly happy. Hopefully, you were listening carefully!
Make it emotional
Memorable gifts are the ones that tug on the heartstrings. Research shows that we remember things better when they make an emotional impact on us. That means it’s not the gift itself that matters most – it’s the why. It goes back to that listening thing again; we want to show the person you really care. So make sure you write a really personal note along with your gift. Explain why you bought it and try to link it to a moment you’ve shared together. It’s those moments that really count.
Make it an experience
Some of our homes are so full of junk we don’t know where to put it all. That’s why many families are turning away from physical gifts in order to give packaged experiences instead. Psychologists say that experiences make us happier than gifts because of our brains’ habit of rapidly adapting to new environments. A trip to London to see Buckingham Palace, for example, would bring us much more happiness than a new watch.
Here at Evan Evans, we’ve packaged up some of our best travel experiences in beautiful gift packages for all tastes. If you want to give a memory they’ll really treasure, make sure you take a look on our gift experiences page.
Make it big
Research shows that things that grab our attention are much more memorable than things that are easy to overlook. That means that, if you want to make a big impression, go big. You can do it even if you’re giving something intangible like one of our Evan Evans Gift Experiences. You just need a big box, lots of wrapping paper and a little imagination.
Add something to take away
There’s a reason we buy souvenirs every time we go on holiday. Having that object in your home, however small or unassuming it might be, helps to anchor the wonderful memories of where and how we got it. When giving your highly personal, emotional gift experience, make sure you add a little something to remember it by. Even the tiniest moment can help that beautiful memory last a lifetime. Those are the objects we will truly cherish in years to come.
We hope that’s given you some great ideas. If you’re still wondering what to buy for your loved ones, get some more inspiration on our gift experiences page. We hope you create lots of beautiful Christmas memories together.
