The Gift Giver Like No Other
Leave a lasting impression with a perfect gift.
The gift-giving is generally considered an act of generosity. And while absolutely true, as all gifts should be freely given, every good gift giver will also confess to be slightly self-satisfied, if not even vain — taking pleasure in their skill to select a perfect gift and inspire responses and emotions in others. A good gift giver is a little bit of a spy, observing people, and taking notes of their tastes, preferences, dreams, suggestions and general personalities. Perhaps a person said something, mentioned it on a random Wednesday and the observer of mankind happened to remember.
This time of the year the gift-giving guides and advertisements hit us from every corner. If we are go to the website of any department store or a brand, we can very easily find “Gifts for Him/Her” or “Christmas Gifts” section and catch something popular and decent enough to gift. But the art of gift giving is much more than simply purchasing an item — if you are creative and care for the person, you can weave an entire story into the gift and in doing so, elevate your relationship. Gift giving can be an act of love, thoughtfulness and even self expression. The gift is also very much a reflection of the one who gives it — it is an extension of who they are and also of their subtle (or not so subtle) opinion of the one for who the gift is intended for. And of course, if you are successful in your gift giving endeavour, you get to enjoy the compliments on your perceptive skills, memory and thoughtfulness.
Venus is the supreme alchemist as her mission is to join the polarising, opposing forces to achieve creativity, beauty, spiritual elevation and unity. Women, as her “representative on Earth”embody this power in the many ways they are transforming the raw material into a more sophisticated and artful creation. This approach can be taken into everything, and in the context of gift giving, this alchemy transforms an often mundane and daunting endeavour into meaning, beauty, creativity and connection.
Volupta will not give you the list of items you can buy — you can decide that for yourself. This “gift guide” will focus on the psychology of gift giving, how to craft a perfect gift and some ideas for the unique gifts that you can give to people according to their archetypes.
How To Truly Delight Someone
It is obvious that in order to give a good and appropriate gift, you need to know who the recipient is. There are many things that you can consider — their general personality, the archetypes that dominate their psyche, their hobbies, interests, passions or even cultural background.
What we consider a bad gift is often simply that which communicates low effort. The price of the gift is not as important (unless we go so cheap that it communicates stinginess, low effort & unwillingness to give anything but the cheapest) as the thought behind it. In fact, we may often want to give an expensive gift as a way to compensate for the lack of thought — “throw money at a problem” is how those of us who have the means may approach it. But if you view the gift giving as a problem or a chore, then that is the “energy” your gift will be wrapped in.
Other reasons for bad gifts are: giving what the giver wants rather than appealing to the recipient’s desires and focusing too much on trends and not enough on personal meaning. As previously said, the most powerful gifts are those that are personal.
You also do not have to give items as gifts alone — you can also consider giving experiences, time or symbolic gestures if that is what they enjoy and appreciate. For example, for your gourmand, you can purchase an exclusive cooking class or dinner at a fine restaurant; for the cinephile, you can give a bundle of cinema tickets; for example in your city they may be showing Fellini or Visconti and you can give them tickets for all of the screenings, allowing them to pick and choose which to go to or perhaps you can purchase a personal screening for them; for the opera or music lover, you can go for the music; if they are an activist or a person who loves causes you can make a donation in their name or give them something in relation to the cause they are passionate about; if they love astrology or astronomy you can dedicate/register a star in their name. More generally, you can give subscriptions, workshops, membership for a museum, opera or cinema, vacations, spa-days or anything similar. If you know that they will enjoy it and appreciate it, you can also seal any gift with a curated playlist you make for them or inspired by them. The point is to be creative, thoughtful and personal.
Some practical tips that will help you delight someone:
Listen to the Unspoken Cues - The easiest way to delight someone is to demonstrate that you truly see them. Pay attention to the details in conversations — is there something that they always say they wanted but never got it for themselves? Is there a childhood memory that they cherish or a place that they love? Is there a habit or obsession they have? Do they have literary, cinematic or artistic fascinations?
Appeal to Their Passions - Already suggested above, but it worths to mention it again — observe their passions and interests and make a note of any particularities, personal flavours that they add to the more general passion. The more you get a hold of the particulars, the more specific your gift can be.
Thoughtful Luxury - A touch of indulgence can elevate any gift, simply for the fact that indulgent and luxurious is not easy to get and demands a greater sacrifice of our resources and time. It does not have to leave you bankrupt if you do not have the means, but a touch of luxury can make a person feel valued and special. Those luxuries can be simple — instead of a generic candle or incense sticks, give them artisanal and niche ones; instead of a generic chocolate, go for the boutique ones; if you give wine, pair it with elegant accessories like beautiful glasses or crystal decanter; if you give food or tea, pair it with some nice tableware.
Give a Story, Not Just a Gift - Stories are powerful and they uniquely captivate us (from novels to TV/cinema to video games or anything else). To make your gift even more personal, you can always add a story behind it. For example, the gifts you choose can be a story — if it is a gift of wellness or pampering, you can include an entire story/experience of it, from items to music or anything else; you can create an entire day of experience for a person. Another thing that you can do is add your personal thought process behind the gift, for example: “I remembered how much you loved X and I made sure to find exactly the one that you wanted” or anything similar.
Packaging and Presentation - Packing and presentation matter. Use ribbons made of velvet, silk or grosgrain; add wax seals or calligraphy tags with the recipient’s name. Include symbolism related to the person or to the gift, a meaningful quote, poem or a card with a personal message.
Gift Guide For Women, Men & Their Personalities
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