Weddings, birthdays, Christmas, and other life events and holidays bring to mind many associations—the most common of which, in many cases, is the giving and/or receiving of gifts. In fact, gift-giving is essentially an expectation during many of these events. While there exists a plentiful supply of ready-made gifts that fit these occasions well, perhaps ready-made items aren’t your best option for celebrating someone. Perhaps putting your own touch on a gift would go over better and delight the person you’re giving to more. To learn more about why you should always do personalized gifts, read our comprehensive guide to their benefits.
Personalized Gifts Show Your Loving Effort
People appreciate knowing that their friend or family member put more effort, energy, creativity, and love into a gift than they needed to. That’s the first reason why you should always give a personalized gift. It’s precisely because putting effort into a gift is not necessary that you should strive to go this extra mile with what you give. In doing so, you surprise your loved ones with your kindness and thoughtfulness. Also, the gift recipient is likely to value a gift more highly if they know you put hours—perhaps several days—into honing and personalizing it.
Your Gift Is Completely Unique
While some mass-produced gifts are wonderful to own (and likely impossible for you to make or personalize), the fact that you can give an entirely novel gift to someone is quite special. This way, rather than knowing that thousands of other people also own the video, book, game, or trinket that they receive, the recipient can feel the special intimacy a treasured custom gift conveys. They’ll love how your gift sparks interesting discussions with those who take notice of the gift—something that isn’t as likely with a more run-of-the-mill option.
You Have Great Freedom to Choose
Additionally, personalizing a gift gives you the ability to customize it how you would like. Because you know the person you’re giving to, you know if they would love a gaudy custom t-shirt or think it’s garish, for instance. You have the power to customize how you see fit, inundating your gift with little details or going with a more inconspicuous personalization, such as inscribing their initials into a nice new china set. Base this decision on what you think your recipient will enjoy, and use this freedom to make a gift they’ll love.
Giving Them Is More Rewarding for You
Creating a personalized gift is also simply more fulfilling for you, the giver. First of all, you can have the confidence that you’re giving them a quality gift if only because of the time and energy you put into it. Rather than grapple with guilt about grabbing a gift off a shelf at your local store, personalizing your gift in some way gives you confidence that you are celebrating the person or people you’re giving it to well.
Additionally, personalizing a gift allows you to consider who your recipient is as a person and your relationship to them. As you sew them a scarf or pick out a personalized plaque, considering what they care about, what inside jokes they would appreciate, and how to pay homage to your relationship allows you an extended period of time to expressly ponder them. In the end, you’ll feel closer to your recipient than when you began.
Personalized Gifts Help People Remember a Shared Memory
Moreover, personalizing a gift affords you the chance to immortalize a memory that you share with them. Perhaps you took a great photo as they graduated from college; by hand-crafted a frame for it, you turn a memory into a gift. Or maybe you custom-order a t-shirt with a design you found in your old school papers for the pretend business you each thought up when you were kids. Creating a concrete gift to remember these times restores the past and gives them an easy conduit back to the memory. As we too often forget who we were and what we cared about at various points in our past, personalizing a gift to evoke that memory counteracts this unfortunate memory loss. The person you give your gift to will greatly appreciate you stewarding their past and bringing it into the present.
They Bring a Loved One to Mind
While a gift can bring a memory back, it can also carry associations with a beloved person in someone’s life. For example, if you’re leaving on a military deployment, giving your spouse a custom pendant allows them to feel that you’re closer than you actually are. Also, as you move away from your parents, giving them a collage of their grandchildren’s drawings (addressed to their grandparents) removes some of the bitterness of a bittersweet parting, and allows them to remember their grandchildren often. You never know when giving a gift to remind someone of you will spark a phone call or a pleasant thought.
This bringing to mind can involve you—reminding others of you when you’re apart—but it can also apply to people a loved one lost. As they grieve the death of a spouse or friend, giving a concrete representation of that person may help heal their pain some and retain some good memories with this loved one. Truly, these gifts that carry associations with other people possess immense value, much greater than that of a non-personal gift.
They’re Easier to Find Than Ever
While a personalized gift is a touching gesture, it’s also easier to do than ever. So many new companies specialize in creating custom products at a low cost. These products can range widely, too—everything from personalized clothes (including garments for your beloved pet) to a custom plaque, bobblehead, or kitchen utensil. Technologies such as 3-D printing and sophisticated imaging software help immensely in the process. Many companies can now take your thought-out plans for a gift and making them a reality, making the personalization process simpler yet still deeply meaningful.
As you consider your options for giving a gift, consider giving a beautifully personalized plaque to a loved one. Crystal Central offers plaques for all kinds of holidays and occasions, ranging from safety award plaques to plaques for retirees. Give us a call so we can help you decide what to get your employee, friend, or loved one.
