Who gave me that??

There are so many times that friends and family give the worst gifts. They are ugly, the wrong size, the worst scent, a gift certificate to a place you will never go to, etc. This turns receiving a gift into more of a chore than a pleasure. After pretending to like it and then returning it, you end up wishing you never received anything in the first place. There is even one of the worst faux pas on the planet that can come into play here. You can re-gift your bad gift to someone who recognizes it as a “re-gift”. Even worse, you could re-gift it to the very person who gave it to you in the first place! Both mistakes are beyond tacky. Just a quick side note: Do not give anything in your home as a present. I received a book once and knew it was on a friend’s coffee table the week before!

This whole gift giving drama has been the source of some of my business. Many clients call and ask me to purchase gifts for them. I have noticed that my most successful gift purchases have all had a theme. Finding a creative motif to base presents around is one trick of the trade that always proves to be a success. My “no fail formula” is quite simple. I find something that the recipient enjoys such as Pilates, cooking, or golfing and base the gift around that.  It is also important to personalize the gift. I always add something if I am giving a gift certificate. You will not receive a Starbucks card without a mug or a Lulu lemon gift certificate without a yoga mat! On that note get creative and take a picture of the chalkboard with the weeks class schedules if you don’t want to spend any more money. If all this requires too much effort than call me!!