Christmas can be a stressful time to find good gifts for family and friends. The angst of finding the perfect gift for your significant other, sibling , or parents can be over-whelming and at times, you might just want to give up and find the easiest thing. However, for a gift to be special, it needs to be well-thought out. There are several gifts that people dread every year. The best thing to do is avoid them and buy something else meaningful. These are a few of the gifts you should not give.
Socks are a basic gift that have no meaning behind them. If you don’t know what to get someone, don’t get them socks as it portrays you put no thought into the gift because they are meaningless gift. Funny socks are slightly different., however. Getting a pair of funny socks for a close friend or family member can be a good gag gift. In general, basic socks are not the way to go.
The second gift you should never get someone is a self-help book. A self-help book can send a very upsetting message, especially to the person receiving it. Giving a self-help book can insinuate that you believe that the person needs to work on themselves and can be very hurtful. Although your intentions may be good. A self-help book may hurt someone’s self-esteem on what is supposed to be a joyful day.
Another gift that you should never give someone is exercise gear. Similar to a self-help book, exercise gear, like weights, can give off a poor message. The person receiving the gift may be insulted and think that you may find them un-healthy. No one wants to feel insecure in the holiday season. Again, you may have positive intentions, but this could be a controversial and upsetting gift.
Pets are next up on the list. There is a difference between gifting a pet to a family member with whom you’ve had discussions about said pet and gifting a pet to a friend or family member who has not shown interest in owning a pet and may not provide the proper care and love for it. Pets are a lot of responsibility. You have to feed them, clean take them on walks, and more which can be a lot for someone who didn’t even ask for a pet. You don’t want to put someone in the position where they have to take care of something they never mentioned wanting and it wouldn’t be fair to put the pet in a home in which it won’t be loved or taken care of.
Although this may be an unspoken gift rule, never give someone a re-gifted item. Say someone gives you a snow globe, you should never, ever, give someone else that snow globe. Not only does it insult the person receiving the gift, it also insults the person who gave you the gift. It gives the impression that you put no thought into it and that you may be ungrateful about the gift you received. It comes off as cheap and rude.
Lastly, a gift that you should never give someone are gift cards. If you know someone very well and you know where they like to shop, eat, or drink gift cards can be a thoughtful and easy gift. However, if you are buying gift cards for a friend you don’t know too well, you might want to rethink it. Getting someone a gift card to somewhere they may not like can come off as inconsiderate.
Gifts can be tricky, but there are lots of options out there. Just keep in mind that there are plenty of gifts that are not so great to give. The key is to take time to be considerate and keep the person’s best interest in mind, not what is easiest for you.
