Dec 14th, 2008
Avoiding the White Elephant
I pride myself on doing a decent job of gift selection. I try to get things that I think my friend will use and appreciate, because nothing spells waste more than a white elephant.
Giving appropriate, desired, and useful gifts means that the giver really has to know the recipient and give things that are in line with what the receiver really wants. Sometimes it’s just knowing someone’s favorite store (my friend who loves Ann Taylor frequently ends up with gift cards from that store from me, because I know she’ll use them and appreciate them. A friend of mine who loves wine, dislikes big businesses, and is into organic products often gets locally produced organic wine.
On the other hand, reversing those two gifts would not really make sense; my first friend isn’t really interested in organic wine, and my second friend would not be very likely to buy clothes from Ann Taylor, so gifts need to be specialized for the person receiving them. There’s no such thing as a one size fits all gift!
There may be one exception to all of that, however: cash.
In any event, what I really don’t want is for the gift I give to end up not being used; that’s a waste of dollars all around. I try my best to make sure what I give makes sense for whomever receives it.
