Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and soon after comes the winter holiday celebrations. So, it’s time to start making that gift list. Per usual, GFL will share a brief history of gifting and touch on a few gifting rules and traditions across organizations and cultures. It will also cover the psychology of gift-giving from the behavioral scientists’ angle. In the end, GFL gives you some gifting ideas. Save Time. Be selective. Find it here. 

Origins of Gift-Giving

Anthropologists give evidence that gift-giving and receiving are part of the primates’ evolution. Read this fascinating article to find out more. In gist, gift giving is about:

• fostering bonds and establishing trust
• finding love
• showing respect and appreciation
• building alliances to promote diplomacy and the group’s survival rate
• celebrating an important event
• deepening the giver’s sense of well-being
• nurturing spirituality
• promoting charity

As you can see, there are both intrinsic and extrinsic benefits of gift giving and receiving.

Gift-giving across organizations and cultures

Gift exchange in the workplace is typical around the holidays, but we must adhere to the organization’s gifting protocol. And when it comes to holiday gift exchanges, I like it best when co-workers set expectations, budgets, and themes. Besides these considerations, we must be aware of our colleagues’ cultural gifting traditions. Be culturally informed because there are plenty of gift-giving traditions around the world. Your gift should make the person feel happy instead of uncomfortable or offended. Below are some tips. 

• Presentation
  • The Japanese are meticulous about gift wrapping. FYI: odd number of pleats means joy.
  • Purple gift wrapping paper is associated with mourning in Brazil and Argentina.
  • Wrap the gift twice when gifting someone from Egypt.
  • The Japanese offer and receive the gift using both hands, while the right hand is used in India and Ghana.  
  • The Chinese and the Irish refuse the gift two to three times as an act of humility before accepting it.
• Language of numbers
  • Refrain from gifting items in sets of four to Chinese friends and colleagues. In Chinese, the word for the number 4 sounds like the word for death.
  • Never give 13 of anything in Argentina and the U.S..
  • Lucky number 9 in Thailand. The Thai word for the number 9 sounds like moving forward.
  • Give odd number flowers in Russia, even number bundles are associated with funerals.
• Taboo items
  • In the Chinese language, there are many homophonic phrases with negative associations.
    • Do not give a clock or a watch because the phrase “to give a clock” sounds like “to attend a funeral.”
    • The word for umbrella sounds like the “end of a relationship.”
    • A handkerchief is associated with crying and funerals.
  • Sharps like a knife, scissors, and letter openers are used for cutting and symbolize severing the relationship for the Chinese and Bolivians.
  • Consider the religious customs of your colleagues and friends. For Muslims, please do not give any alcohol unless you know they will drink it.
• Language of flowers

Flower	Symbolism	Country
Yellow Flowers Yellow Tulips	Funeral Betrayal, End of relationship	Russia
Lillies	Funeral	Russia, Japan
Carnations	Funeral, Bad Luck	Russia, Japan, France
Lotus	Funeral	Japan
Chrysanthemum	Funeral	France

• In Egypt, flowers are reserved for weddings and for someone ill.
• In Japan, potted plants are reserved for those who are sick.
• Preferred gifts
  • In South Africa, gifts with a practical purpose are best like books, soap, a bottle of good wine.
  • The French appreciate gifts like books, music, fine chocolates, and champagne.

These cross-cultural gift-giving considerations may be unspoken between friends and colleagues. As such, understanding these gifting practices will prevent you from offending anyone.

Gifting Guidelines

Behavioral psychologists discuss gifting strategies in this article. Here are key takeaways.

• Giving what you think is the ideal gift may not be what someone wants.
• Picking a gift from someone’s wish list hits the mark, and it’s not impersonal.
• Being thoughtful should not lead to overthinking or overshooting, like getting a gift that the giver thinks is unique, but the receiver might not want.
• Expensive, showy gifts may have the initial wow factor from the recipient, but the giver must think if the gift has a practical use for the receiver instead of collecting real estate and dust in a drawer or on a shelf.
• Giving cash gifts is not always impersonal if gifting money is accepted within a culture. Purchasing gift cards not specific to a store is guaranteed to get someone what they want or need.
• Ask directly what the person wants, if possible.
• Gifting experiences like event tickets, gift certificates to restaurants, or special trips make the receiver feel closer and more connected to the giver; the receiver feels that the giver is vicariously with them even though they are not actually sharing the experience.
• Gifts from the heart that require extra effort, like hand-made items, show how much the giver cares; however, it should be something that the recipient wants.
• Receivers feel closer to gift-givers who buy the same thing for themselves.

Gifting around the holidays is a quintessential tradition, and knowing the psychology of gift-giving can help.  

GFL Gift Suggestions

Below is a curated list that hopes to bring a response like, “Wow, this is just what I wanted!”

Books

Plants and Gardening

Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space  ($25 Paperback)

If you love gardening but hate the back pain from bending and space is a problem, you might consider vertical gardening. This book gives tips on growing flowers and vegetables on trellises, supports, and raised beds. The author shares his successes and failures with different plant varieties to grow vertically. This book is ideal for beginner gardeners.

The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual: Essential Gardening Know-how for Keeping (Not Killing!) More Than 160 Indoor Plants  ($25 Paperback)

During the pandemic, indoor gardening has become a relaxing pastime for most of us. As such, the book benefits both novice and experienced houseplant enthusiasts. The book title says it all–it is a plant survival encyclopedia. The author shares her expertise on 160 houseplants from personality profiles, growing needs, and troubleshooting tips. The helpful information can help anyone pick out plants for a specific area in their home.

Cooking

Salt-Fat-Acid-Heat  ($17 Hardcover)

Samin Nosrat discusses the four fundamentals of cooking like a storybook, complete with beautiful illustrations. The cooking lessons are straightforward, too. This timeless book is an excellent gift to anyone who cooks.

Herbs and Spices ($24 Hardcover)

This book is an herb and spice encyclopedia full of pictures and informative descriptions. The author goes into herbs and spices’ common uses, combinations, and flavor profiles and gives easy recipes. Impress everyone with your very own spice rub! Yum. 

Coffee Table Books

Eating Salad Drunk: Haikus for the Burnout Age by Comedy Greats  ($8 Hardcover)

Haiku poems about modern romance, family and friends, food, self-love and loathing, screen time, etc., are written by comedy household names like Jerry Seinfeld, Aubrey Plaza, Margaret Cho, Ray Romano, and more. And the illustrations are so clever and guaranteed to make you laugh, thanks to the talents of a New Yorker cartoonist.

Women Holding Things ( $30 Hardcover)

The artist and her son painted portraits of women holding objects such as balloons, a chicken, a cake, and a hat, plus abstract images like dreams, joy, sorrow, regret, love, and burden. The objects represent aspects of the woman’s identity or character, like tenacity, courage, vulnerability, hope, pain, connection, and more.

Food and Drinks

Teas

Adanim Passion Flower and Carob Tea ($19)

Need a bedtime herbal tea to help you relax before bed, passionflower has sedative and anxiety reducing properties. This is a wonderful gift to the insomniac. 

Aveda Comforting Tea ($20)

This organic tea is a blend of licorice root, peppermint, and basil. It smells fresh and tastes slightly sweet. This is just divine.

Sweets, Spices, Condiments & Drinks

Levain Signature Assorted Cookies ($29)

Seriously delicious, hands down. The receiver will devour this pack of chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, dark chocolate peanut butter chip, and oatmeal raisin cookies in minutes.

Haku Japanese Whiskey Barrel Aged Fish Sauce ($34)

This sophisticated fish sauce is made from fatty sardines from the Sea of Japan, salt, and sugar, aged for two years, then an additional year in Japanese whiskey barrels. The flavor is mellow with an understated sweetness. My finicky kid loves it!

Fly by Jing A Taste of Sichuan Triple Threat ($45)

The tasting flight comprises Zhong Sauce, Mala Spice, and Sichuan Chili Crip. In my household, we can’t get enough and use them on just about anything. Try, and you’ll see for yourself. 

Seed Lip Non-Alcoholic Spirit Gift Set ($46)

Spice 94 features Jamaican All Spice, Cardamom, Earthy Oak, and Cascarilla Barks and finishes with bright citrus. Garden 108 is a fresh, floral blend with peas, spearmint, rosemary, thyme, and hay. Drink it on the rocks or combine it with your favorite sparkling water or tonic.

The Cocktail Kit by Haus ($50)

Haus puts a modern spin on the classic aperitif with all-natural farm-to-bottle low-alcohol aperitifs. This gift sampler features signature flavors like Spiced Cherry, Grapefruit Jalapeno, Ginger Yuzu, and New Fashioned to mix with tonic water or your favorite spirit. Cheers!

Frantoio Muraglia Olive Oil ($53)

This award-winning olive oil imported from Italy is robust, fruity, and spicy. The color is a deep-green hue that says something about its rich flavor. Try it on salads, crudité, soups, sandwiches, and bread.

Giuseppe Giusti Gold Medal Trio Balsamic Vinegar ($57)

The selection of three bottles of award-winning balsamic vinegar from Giusti’s Historical Collection will elevate just about any cooked or raw dish you serve. I caught my kid spooning the vinegar like a guilty pleasure.  

Stationery

Papier Personalized Notebook ($35)

I have a confession. I am partial to paper notebooks instead of digital versions. Plus, you can customize it. Pick a favorite design, add a name, a fun title, or a special quote for a one-of-a-kind gift.

Paper Source Personalized Stationery ($87 for 100 cards)

Don’t you agree that personalized stationery is always a welcomed and thoughtful present? But of course, you do.

Wellness

Bath and Body Works Eucalyptus Spearmint Bath Soak ($19)

A sea salt bath soak scented with eucalyptus and spearmint is soothing after a long exhausting day. Indulge yourself.

Peppermint and Rosemary Shower Steamers ($24)

Create a spa experience in your home shower. Drop a steamer onto the shower floor let the scents of peppermint and rosemary clear congestion, relax, and invigorate you.

Paddywax Cypress and Fir Soy Candle ($32)

This quintessential holiday blend is fir, eucalyptus, and crushed pinecones. Can you smell it yet? The best part is no pine needles clean up.

Paddywax Oil Diffuser ($72)

The beautiful sculptural, sleek ceramic diffuser is perfect for small to medium-sized rooms. It comes in black and white.

Plant Therapy Essential Oil Starter Set ($65)

Plant Therapy makes high-quality USDA Certified Organic essential oils, and each comes with a safety data sheet. This set has seven single oils (Cinnamon, Tea Tree, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Lavender, Peppermint, and Eucalyptus) and seven synergistic blends (Immune Aid, Relax, Invigor Aid, Tranquil, Sensual, Energy, and Germ Fighter).

Powerdot Smart Muscle Stimulator ($349)

A massage by your favorite masseuse is best but the next best thing is this Bluetooth electric muscle stimulation device. It offers a variety of pain relief programs for different muscle groups. Honestly, I can’t live without it.

Wearables

Lululemon Everywhere Bag ($48)

It’s versatile, essential, and extremely coveted. You can wear it as a belt bag as a fanny pack or around your chest.

Everlane Unisex Felted Merino Beanie ($50)

Stylish, timeless, soft, and comfortable to wear. Who wouldn’t want this on their noggin? 

Mohair Color-block Scarf ($130)

Artisans from Spain handcraft this luxurious scarf for Mantas Ezcaray, a knitwear company. This scarf is made from a luxurious and durable blend of mohair, wool, and polyamide.

Experiences and Subscriptions

Sur La Table Cooking Classes are offered in many stores around the US. Sur La Table has classes in person and online. The price is $89.

Institute of Culinary Education Recreational Cooking Classes are wonderful to gift someone who wants to learn from master chefs. Price starts at $120. ICE also offers virtual classes.

Class Pass has thousands of top-rated gyms, fitness studios, salons, and spas worldwide. Give a gift card to that someone special and buy a pass for yourself to enjoy the experience together.

Audible makes a perfect gift for the person who loves audiobooks and podcasts. Choose the gift of membership from one month ($15) to twelve months ($150).

That’s a wrap! Hope this post is helpful. Thanks for reading.