Just as a well planned gift can patch up a festering relationship; an ill-planned gift can puncture it. Here are the seven golden gift giving do’s and don’ts that, if followed, will ensure a mutually pleasurable gift-giving experience.The Do’s – gift ideas worth considering1. If you are intending to give gifts within an organization, then DO spend some time catching up on the company’s gift-giving policy. By the same token, if you are giving gifts to members of a certain community, then DO find out what’s acceptable within that community and what’s not – example: gifting a bottle of Champaign to your Muslim neighbor is not the smartest of gift ideas.
2. When coming up with gift ideas, it’s imperative to thoroughly think through what you should gift while keeping the recipient in mind. Try to make the gift as personalized as possible by catering to the hobbies and interests of the recipient.
3. Any of the gift ideas that promote sharing are a definite DO. There is nothing like a gift that can be shared among office colleagues or family members – example: plants.
4. Wrapping and presentation is everything. A very expensive and thoughtful gift can lose considerable weightage if its not packed and presented the way it should. On the other hand, a less expensive gift can appreciate in value in the eyes of the recipient if it’s packed and presented well. In order to add some icing to the proverbial cake and to take this gift idea further, try throwing in something extra to complement the gift – example: if you have bought someone a book, buy him a fancy bookmark as well.
5. Donating to charity on the recipient’s behalf is a definite DO. However, this gift idea should come with a pinch of precaution – do not donate to a charity which the recipient probably believes is a non-worthy cause. Before donating the money, DO a little digging to find out what kind of charities the recipient believes in.
6. Throw in the gift’s receipt along with the gift. This is a controversial gift idea but the reality is that most people prefer to be able to exchange a gift rather than to be stuck with something they don’t like and have no use for.
7. Last but not least, if you are giving gifts within the organization then DO keep the whole process discreet. Even if you are giving everyone one a gift, it’s always a good idea to keep it hush-hush – it keeps you safe from lethal gossip circles. The theory is also applicable if you are giving gifts to families – even though you maybe close to one or two members of the family, it’s always advisable to gift something to everyone in the family.The Don’ts – gift ideas worth staying away from1. In an office setting, don’t gift something to someone (especially the boss) just because he/she is your senior and is responsible for your performance appraisal. Yes, gifts are a social lubricant but it should not be (mis)used to get into someone’s good books. Historically gifts have been used as an expression of gratitude and appreciation – it’s a good idea to try to keep it that way.
2. Don’t make the fatal mistake of thinking that the recipient would share your taste in something (like perfume, clothes and books).
3. Do not gift items that make religious, cultural or sexual statements. Gifting lingerie to your female co-worker is probably the worst gift idea of all.
4. Do not feel obligated to return an outrageously expensive gift with an equally outrageously expensive one – this is even truer if you can’t afford to do so.
5. Do not postpone buying the gift until the last moment. Think in advance and give yourself time to buy the right gifts for each person.
6. Do not go for the “one-gift-for-all” strategy. This strategy will fail probably eleven out of ten times. It will fail in an office setting and as well as in a family setting.
7. Don’t ignore your finances. Giving an over priced gift will not only throw you off balance financially, but it will also send the wrong message to the recipient. An expensive gift to your manager could be perceived as a bribe and an expensive gift to friends and family will put pressure on them to reciprocate the expensive gift. Obviously a gift should not be too cheap either – we all know what kind of message that sends.In summary, the gift-giving process should be a personal one and relegating it to a mechanical process is a dis-service to the gift-giving tradition. As Kahlil Gibran beautifully put it, “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give”.

There is a knack to buying great gifts, some people seem to have it and others don’t. Some people tend to give touching, thoughtful, and personal, yet funny and unusual gifts that really make the recipient smile. Others give well meaning yet bland and unoriginal gifts. However, it is not as hard as you think to pick top gifts; you just have to think outside the box, the best way to pick a great gift is to find something unusual. If you want to improve the gifts you give to people, put some effort into picking gifts that get curiouser and curiouser by the second.To pick amazing unusual gifts it is first important to change the places you shop. Even with the best imagination and creative flair you are unlikely to find original, funky and unusual gifts in a bland chain high street store. These gifts are picked to appeal to the average person; a one size fits all method of offering gifts. Although these gifts will be sufficient for most purposes, they are not intended as truly fantastic jaw dropping unusual gifts for unique individuals. What’s more, these items are charged at relatively high prices.Although it takes little effort to pick up any old gift from the high street store and pay a relatively high price, the absence of thought you put into the gift shines through. In contrast, by spending a relatively small amount of time planning ahead online and looking for gifts that will match the recipient’s personality; you can find a gift with the X factor.When it comes to online gifts, the general rule is, the weirder the better, go for unusual gifts. The less likely the recipient is to have seen anything like it before, the more they’ll love it. You can also combine a well known gift with something else to give it an unexpected twist; this is often how the best gifts come about. For example, a clock is a fairly standard yet often appreciated present, as is a photo frame, but how about combining these together?You can buy a family photo frame clock which features a clock face surrounded by many photo frames containing pictures of your loved ones. To make these unusual gifts extra special you could carefully select your favourite family pictures and put these in the frames. This gift has all the makings of a great gift; it is unusual, thoughtful and personalised.The more fun the present is the better the gift is. Any gift that is likely to bring out the big kid in you is well worth the money. These gifts are usually the ones that are remembered long after the aftershave has ran out or the socks have been lost. Most adults are likely to have received a traditional gift such as a hamper before. Hampers are fairly sensible gifts. But have they ever received a retro sweets hamper?These amazing and unusual gifts will bring out the big kid in the recipient. The retro hamper is full of sweets that will give you a trip down memory lane including dip dabs, flying saucers, candy necklaces and much more. This comes beautifully presented and makes an ideal gift, one which they would never expect!Humorous presents also go down very well at celebrations such as birthdays. It shows the recipient you appreciate their sense of humour. This is a great gift particularly for older people and those who are likely to receive serious gifts as it lightens the tone of the event. A great gift you can buy for under a fiver is the Money grows on trees plant. This makes a great gift for a parent or anyone who has ever said the phrase, which is almost anyone! This hilarious money plant contains a magic bean, when planted grow to buds with the word money written on them, you can then prove that money really does grown on trees!If you really want to shock the gift recipient why not get them nothing. That’s right, if there’s a person who always tells you to get them nothing, why not actually do it for once. You can buy a plastic bubble with nothing in it, with funny instructions on the packaging. This is a hilarious gift that is sure to make them laugh and be something they want to show to all their mates. What’s more, they’ll definitely never expect it!So to give a really fantastic present make sure you buy them unusual gifts gifts. Watch the lucky recipient become curiouser and curiouser as they open the present, and see the delight on their face when they get a great funky and original present that they will always remember.