26. Making Gift Selections at Christmas

Many people adore Santa Claus because he brings them the perfect that
often produces squeals of joy. Individuals, especially children, are often
thrilled to get what they want and need from Santa. To bring joy to others, you
also need to not only give a Christmas gift but to also try to get an item that
will be a good match for the individual by selecting a gift that suits the
person.
It is possible to find the right Christmas gift without having to fall for the
easy way out by giving a ‘sweater.’ To find the right gift for Christmas for
anyone means a gift has to capture one or both of the following qualities –
something that you know the person will like or desire, or something with useful
purpose that will captivate the person. A Christmas gift that captivates the
receiver will produce a ‘wow’ reaction or comments of ‘that’s cool’ from others,
who will be wishing silently that they had gotten such a gift.
The key to selecting a wonderful Christmas gift that will produce a ‘wow’
reaction is to make sure the item is one that will appear interesting to others.
The gift itself may have limits to its use. That means it may not be something
that will be used frequently, such as a sweater or other clothing. The ‘wow’
factor or coolness of the gift must however overshadow it’s possible limited
usefulness.
Selecting a Christmas gift that is desired can prove to be difficult if you
think you don’t know what the person wants or needs. But when we think that we
don’t really know what someone wants for a Christmas gift, our real thought is
that we haven’t really heard the person specifically say they want or desire a
particular item. That however is not an obstacle to truly knowing what someone
may desire for a Christmas gift.
To help to identify an item that will make a perfect Christmas gift, you need to
focus on what you know about the person – various qualities, what leisure
activity the person likes, what type of books, art and music for example, do
they like. To focus on what you know about the person, think about conversations
you have engaged in with the individual. Conversations in general can often give
splendid ideas of good gifts to give for Christmas because oftentimes people
will say ‘I wish for …..’ when talking with someone else.
The character of the person is also a good indicator of items that will make
wonderful Christmas gifts. Remember, a gift for Christmas is a token to show
love, fondness or appreciation or some combination of those qualities. An item
that captures a quality of a person is therefore likely to be much appreciated.
So, for example, books make good gifts for someone who likes to read. But if the
person also has a humorous persona, a book on jokes would be a desirable
Christmas gift.
For someone who likes to drive, a travel book on scenic routes is likely to
create a large amount of interest. A Christmas gift like that also could stir
some ‘wow’ remarks as it could easily cause others to want become engrossed in
browsing it. A Christmas gift like that also is an example of something that is
very useful but which may not get a lot of frequent use.
Another strategy for selecting a perfect Christmas gift is to think of how
something will fit into someone’s lifestyle. A friend once recalled that wish
another friend often expressed in conversation was for a playstation. But
knowing that the friend also didn’t have much leisure time to actually sit and
use a playstation, a hand-held game gadget was given instead that could be used
during commute on public transportation or in 10-15 minutes of short downtime.
Selecting Christmas gifts for friends, acquaintances and loved ones that will be
remembered and treasured is therefore not too much of a difficult task if the
strategies previously mentioned are kept in mind.