I am good at giving gifts. I’m not saying every gift I’ve ever given is a hit; plenty have either not been hits or have just been okay. But I’m good at it. In fact, I’m a little bit of a maniac about it. I have, in the past, bought things just to have them on hand to give to the intended recipient should an occasion arise. I’ve certainly bookmarked things as gifts for people with whom I don’t actually exchange gifts. Just in case!
It’s my belief that a good gift comes down to one thing: paying attention.1 And then being a good gift giver comes down to two things: a spirit of generosity and not taking it personally if your gift isn’t quite the right thing. If you give somebody a work of art or a piece of clothing you have to be OK with the possibility they won’t actually want it on their wall or their body.
That part is very important! If you do not have this kind of detachment about gifts then people will dread receiving them from you. I think “it’s the thought that counts” is a very tru…
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