These past few years, people have been especially giving, with total gift sales of over $200 billion in the 2020 holiday season alone. It is not always easy to know what to gift someone, or how to do it, though. Do you know what gift giving etiquette is in every situation?
Below, we have listed several gifting etiquette tips. As you read on, pick up some advice that you can use in your regular gifting habits. If you do, your friends might give you something nice in return.
General Gifting Etiquette
The first and most important rule for gift giving is to give somebody something that you have themed on what they would like. You are free to ignore any of the advice in this article if, for example, someone has asked for a lot of Star Trek memorabilia or erotic books.
With that in mind, unless they say otherwise, you should always aim to get somebody something tasteful. In general, refrain from getting someone something that would embarrass them if their mother saw them open it. It is much safer to avoid embarrassment to yourself and the receiver of the gift.
On top of that, try to match the gift to the event in mind. On birthdays, people do rarely like to have reminders of their age or death. For a 21st birthday, gifts of alcohol are not only recommended, but often expected.
Wedding Gift Etiquette
First of all, if the happy couple says no gifts, do not bring one. You do not need to be special by bringing one anyway. If you do find something perfect, you could always ask them about it after the wedding and gift it privately instead.
On top of this, if there is a gift list, do not go outside of it. The couple has expressed exactly what they want. This makes it easy for you to make them happy.
Baby Shower Gift Etiquette
Baby showers are the perfect way to welcome a new child into a family or a community. Remember that you are buying things to help the family, though. You want to look for things that they will want more of or will not want to need to buy when the baby comes.
Of course, when buying gifts for a baby shower, alcohol is out of the question. The baby cannot drink it, and the parents will not want to or be able to for many months.
Gifts for Men
Do not overthink gifts for men. Popular culture suggests that they want utilitarian things, and this often weighs true.
But, on the other hand, some men do want things outside of this narrow niche. Ask them what they want instead, or check the homepage of websites that offer gifts for men.
More on Gift Giving Etiquette
After reading the above, you should have a much better understanding of gift giving etiquette and how to apply it to your gifts. If you are still unsure, though, we have much more advice for you on this and several other topics.
To read more on topics like this, check out the Lifestyle category
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