Ah, gift giving. The act of gift-giving feels different for different people. Some people begin planning their gifts weeks in advance, after pondering over every small detail that they can squeeze out of the recipient to ensure that they give the perfect, most thoughtful gift. Other times, gift giving can seem rather dreadful, as it can be impossible to figure out what someone will actually enjoy receiving, and materialism can often ruin our perception of gift giving.
Gift-giving is one of the five love languages, along with words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, and physical touch, and I, for one, am a big fan of giving gifts. I love seeing everyone’s reactions as they open up a gift that I personally picked to match their wants and needs. Contrary to popular belief, the longer you know someone, the harder it can be to pick out a gift for them. After spending years with someone, it is difficult to think of fresh new ideas when holidays and birthdays come around. Below are some of the sentimental gifts that I had given to my partner over the years which I thought were very unique and special, but these gifts can also be adjusted for anyone who you are close with.
- Scrapbook
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Scrapbooks are such good gifts because the recipient will appreciate how much time and effort you put into making one, and it will remind them of all of the good memories that you’ve shared with them. That being said, if you are going to create a scrapbook, it is in your best interest to begin construction far in advance. You can add your favorite photos together with captions to remind them of the day the photo was taken, little keepsakes you have collected along the way (like movie tickets or event wristlets), notes, etc. If you do not have a lot of photos with that person yet, that is okay as well. When I made a scrapbook, I had very few pictures of my partner and me, so I left about half of the scrapbook blank so that we could fill the space in together over the future.
- Photo Calendar
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If you and your partner have a lot of photos together, you can create a photo calendar. There are many different websites and companies that will produce a calendar at a low price, such as Shutterfly and Walmart. You can pick out a variety of different styles, and you can also add notes to the calendar to remind them of birthdays and other significant dates coming up.
- Journal
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A unique gift that you could create for your significant other is a journal filled with all of your memories together. This would make a great anniversary gift, because it is a rather romantic gesture, and you could write down all of the details of your past dates, and your partner will be able to reminisce about the dates from your perspective.
- LEGO Sets
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This is a very fun gift idea that you can enjoy with your partner. LEGO sets can be rather expensive, but there are a wide variety of sets that you can buy; from flower bouquets to Star Wars figurines. You can spend the day building the LEGO sets together, which is a great opportunity to spend quality time together.
- Candy Bouquet
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Buying someone candy is such an easy gift and makes for a great “filler,” but let’s be honest, gifting the same candy over and over again can get a little boring. A cute way to revamp this gift is to buy a vase and tape the candies onto skewers and arrange them in a bouquet-like assortment. It just shows that you went the extra mile to make a sometimes mundane gift a little more special.
It can be difficult to find gifts that mean a lot to you and your partner, but in the end, it is the thought that matters, and I’m sure your partner would be grateful for anything they receive from you. Hopefully, this list makes it a little easier the next time you find yourself stuck with a birthday coming up.
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