🎁 Give Gifts Better
ST56: Seven Things on managing anger with Netflix philosophy, gift ideas, AI tools, and more
Hello friends!
Holiday specials are all the rage, so I thought I’ll include a few related tips and links in today’s missive:
One — A story about how to take the stress out of giving presents.
Two — Seven Things on managing anger with Netflix philosophy, gift ideas, AI tools, and more.
1. Give Gifts Better
Have you sorted out all your gifting plans for this holiday season yet? Me neither. Yuletide is approaching rapidly, and wine isn’t the only thing mulling. Mixed with holiday cheer and fairy lights is the annual trepidation over what to gift whom this year. I’ve long felt that the self-imposed pressures surrounding giving detracted from what should be a delightful experience. Far from being a gifting expert myself, I set out to reduce the associated stress and make gifting a little easier on myself. With a few more weeks to go, I wanted to share with you a few ways that helped me return cheer to the act of giving.
Keep a list of gift ideas for specific people
Coming up with the perfect gifting idea for everyone out of nowhere is sheer impossible. This is why I keep a running list on my notes app of choice, where I add ideas whenever they arise. Every once in a while, someone will share a detail about a hobby or personal interest. I take these down to use as inspiration when needed. I used to find it particularly challenging to give to people I met infrequently. It’s hard to remember all I chatted about with my in-laws during a visit eight months ago. It’s a lot easier to write down a few thoughts on what they seemed interested in while I’m on the plane home immediately after seeing them. It may sound odd to keep a spy file on your friends and family, but giving them something that shows that you care enough to know their main hobbies, favourite colour, or most-read author is worth it.
Keep a list of great gifts for anyone
It’s not always possible to gather new and actionable insight about a prospective recipient, so it’s helpful to have a few default go-tos up my sleeve - gifts I consider appealing to many friends and family.
One category of such gift ideas I call ‘re-gifting’, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, I think about what someone else gave me that was awesome. This is frequently helpful because my friends and I typically have some overlap in interests. Hence, it stands to reason that something I received and loved might be a good fit for another of my friends. I’ve not yet had the discipline to keep a list of those things, but I will try to start one this year.
Keep a gift store
Sometimes you need a gift for someone right now. For those occasions, it’s good to keep a few items at home that make for good gifts for almost anyone.
I recently gave an acorn vase to a buddy who said he liked plants but couldn’t keep them alive. It’s a pretty thing you fill with water and place an acorn on top of to watch it root and grow into a sapling. While I initially found this gift specifically for him, the attribute of ‘loves plants but keeps killing them’ applies to a great many of my friends. So I purchased a batch of these vases to keep at home and gift as needed.
Make something (with a bit of help)
Self-made gifts are the pinnacle of personal gifting. But who has the time, right?! Knitting a jumper will likely take ages, but there are other options, too: Do you have a talent that lets you batch-produce, for example? Maybe you have a graphic artist’s or photographer’s streak in you - you could order beautifully framed prints of your work to gift away. Do you know how to use 3D modelling software? Design something useful and have a batch 3D-printed. With some items - like homemade candles, for example - it’s hardly any more effort to make half a dozen instead of just one.
Self-made doesn’t have to be a physically self-produced object, either. Do you have photos or video clips of yourself and your best friend? Have Apple or Google create a slideshow of your friendship’s highlights and watch the video together the next time you meet. Does your brother have a strange but endearing obsession with Costco’s $1.50 hot dogs? Have an online service print a photo of it on a T-shirt. How can technology help you speed up your self-made gifting?
Relax
Trying to give everyone the gift that will make them cry tears of joy is unrealistic, no matter how hard you try or how much money you spend. That it is the thought that counts shouldn’t be used as an excuse to be thoughtless, but it is okay to aim for a smile and a hug. And isn’t that what we’re all after anyway?
/// Image: DALL·E responding to “An oil painting by Matisse of friends sitting on the floor while wrapping Christmas gifts and drinking mulled wine.”
Seven Things I thought were worth sharing
Personal Growth: Calm Your Anger With Netflix Philosophy - When emotions run high, remember ideas from your favourite shows that give you perspective and strength.
Gift ideas: My favourite all-purpose pen, the acorn vase for my plant-murdering friends, the book I’d love to find under the tree, and subscriptions as far as the eye can see - the gift that truly keeps giving
AI/Tools: Futurepedia is the largest AI tools directory and exceedingly fun to browse. Procrastination alert! (found on Recomendo)
Design: Butterick’s easy yet comprehensive guide to typography
Design: James Turrell’s perfume bottles are both eye candy and engineering feat
Sustainability: A new tool from Google shows how the planet is changing in near real-time
Art: Analogue photos from the Blade Runner model workshop