WHAT YOUR GIFT SELECTION REVEALS ABOUT YOU
The gifts we select for others and appreciate for ourselves offer a glimpse into our values, priorities, and secret desires. Gifting is a philosophy and, with this in mind, we compiled a guide explaining what your gift selection reveals about your mindset.
Curating Highly Personalised Gifts
A personalised gift can be a monogrammed silk pyjama set for someone who loves comfort and spending time at home, ordered in the correct size and their favourite colour. Or, perhaps, a curated box of spices and a wooden cutting board for a friend who enjoys spending time in the kitchen and experimenting with new tastes. A few days ago, you overheard a loved one saying they cannot wait to lay their hands on a newly released book; you made sure to purchase it before them for their upcoming birthday. All of these gift selections can be considered personalised and thoughtful.
When you select a gift based on the other person’s interests, you understand that your own preferences are not universal. When you gift, your intention is to please the receiver, not your ego. Such personalised gifts offer a so-called “identity validation;” they strengthen the person’s self-concept, making them feel seen and understood.
If you belong to this group of gift-givers, you are more likely to be empathetic, and you tend to pay attention to details. And it is quite likely that you bring this attentive energy to every aspect of your life. Your friends and family feel heard rather than judged when they open up to you. In a room full of people, you can immediately sense a shift in the mood, and you do not require that someone has to tell you how they feel directly and with clear explanations. You have already sensed how they feel from their facial expressions and body language.
A More Practical Gift Selection
If you would rather gift a lawn mower to the friend with the vast plot of land, or a robot vacuum cleaner to someone complaining about the dust in their house, you fall into the practical gifter category. Your gift selection usually consists of utilitarian items and objects that serve everyday use. Packaging, aesthetics, and status symbolism are not your main priority; it is all about making someone’s life easier and solving problems.
According to Shalom Schwartz's theory of basic human values, your focus on practicality reveals that you prioritise self-direction and achievement over other motivational goals, such as status or social acceptance. For this reason, you choose items that satisfy basic needs, rather than impress. And you are probably one of the most goal-oriented and efficient people in your circle.
Offering Luxurious Gifts
Luxurious gifts are items and experiences that seem out of reach for most people. Their price point is way beyond that of a premium, and they may require access to a highly exclusive establishment. Such gifts can also be personalised and thoughtful, but they cannot be considered practical or utilitarian. Their main purpose is not to make daily life easier, but to impress, elevate one’s status, and offer a glimpse into an aspirational lifestyle. Such gifts may include a handbag from an exclusive label, a rare antique, or perhaps a fine dining experience.
If you belong to this category of gift-givers, you are probably someone who values respect and admiration. When you gift luxury items, not only do you showcase your access to exclusive spaces, but you also offer the receiver a taste of an aspirational lifestyle; a way of living only a select few can achieve. You also offer them a symbolic mark of higher status, helping them further improve their circumstances and, perhaps, fully access the life of their dreams. Luxury owners attract other luxury owners, creating a network of people who can open doors that only a few can enter.
Perhaps, your gift selection goes beyond status and aspiration. A rare, exclusive gift is also an investment; an item that increases in value as time goes by. If this is your motivation when gifting luxury items, you are obviously a future-oriented individual. Someone who wants to create a legacy and build wealth that will increase from generation to generation.
Gifting Experiences Over Tangible Things
The first thing that comes to mind when the term “gift” is mentioned is usually a wrapped box with a bow on top; the universal symbol for gifting. However, gifts do not always have to be tangible. They can be experiences, such as concerts, trips, and planned adventures.
As an experiential gift-giver, you are a person who truly lives in the moment and strives to build memories. You value bonding and shared experiences more than tokens of status, practicality, or monetary power. But, you are also a highly independent and self-reliable person, as experiential gifts are proven to satisfy a need for autonomy.
Creating Hand-Made & Time-Intensive Gifts
There is a group of gift-givers who will build someone a gazebo instead of buying them a generic candle. The gift does not always have to require extreme effort, but it can incorporate personal resources and talents. If, for example, you would rather bake a cake for someone than buy it from a pastry shop, you belong to this group.
In this case, it is clear that you appreciate resourcefulness and effort, and your love language probably entails acts of kindness. You understand that the more time spent on a gift, the higher its perceived value, no matter its actual price. Time is the ultimate currency afterall.
Perfecting the Gift Presentation
Every gift, whether personalised, luxurious, practical, or hand-made, is not complete without the proper presentation. Manuela Menzi Studio offers a wide range of wrapping paper designs, cards, and other gifting accessories, all featuring original collage designs that have a story to tell.