Did you know that you, yes you, have a set gift giving characteristic in your DNA?
OK, that’s absolutely not true, but it is true that our gift giving efforts tend to be relatively consistent, whether good or bad. They can be an extension of your personality, or a surprise feature – sometimes the best gifts come from the people you least expect and places like Card Factory offer a great range of gifts for everyone.
We’ve got four stereotypical gift givers here; do you see yourself in any of them? Even if you don’t, it’s likely you know a couple of people who fall right into one of these groups.
The always make-an-effort type
An insufferably consistent deliverer of the most thoughtful and obviously heavily prepared gifts. This type of person always makes the time to put a real effort into their gift giving, much to the disdain of less enthusiastic, low effort types whose presents are to follow.
These guys typically enjoy the process of gift buying because they’re genuinely nice and caring people, and the gifts are often of an infallible standard to the point where you don’t even have to pretend you like them, because you actually do. The downside for those on the receiving end is that they’ll need to reciprocate with a similarly thoughtful gift, or otherwise be filled with a sense of guilt over the disparity in quality.
The best type of gift giver, but not necessarily the most loved due to the high quantity of Christmas scrooges found in each family and friendship group.
The show off
“This is too much, you really shouldn’t have…” you mutter as you unwrap what is clearly a high ticket item.
But, pleasantries aside, you mean it – they really shouldn’t have. Your gift pales in comparison to this, in fact there’s no question this gift is at least five times more valuable than yours. But fear not, this isn’t about you or your gift, it’s about the giver and their desire to be perceived as a font of endless wealth.
You and other lucky gift recipients are merely pawns in their game to show everyone who has the most cash. In fact, the best gift you can offer in return is to be impressed, as that’s the main thing they’re after.
Just enjoy your nice gift, and all hail the show off!
The consistently low effort guy/gal
Someone who considers the “always make-an-effort type” their mortal enemy, the low effort guy or gal set their stall out a long time ago with years of belated or missed birthday cards and gifts and subdued Christmas efforts. As such, the bar of expectation is incredibly low for them, which certainly isn’t a bad thing from their point of view.
In defence of the LEG, they typically believe in a “get what you give” type setup, meaning they expect, and often prefer, for you to reciprocate in similarly meagre terms as to not upset the equilibrium. That means you can miss a birthday or notable date and it absolutely won’t be a problem, because they did the same to you in <insert year>.
Sort of wholesome, in a way.
The meanie
Probably the least common type of the four mentioned here, but the meanies do exist. A giver of gifts that look to indirectly insult or directly make fun of the recipient or someone else in the group, you’ll ask yourself why they’ve bothered at all.
A bottle of whiskey for a teetotaller? Hilarious. Intentionally high-priced gifts to shame a lower earning family member? Thanks, how wonderfully vindictive. A dress knowingly bought a couple of sizes too small? What a delightful hint.
Where Christmas is a time for love and care for most, it can be a golden opportunity for others to be next-level petty. Maybe don’t invite them round next year. Oh, it’s your mother-in-law? Unlucky.
Of course, there’s a certain charm to be seen in all these types of gift givers (barring the last one). After all, these are your nearest and dearest, so they almost certainly mean well when it comes down to it, no matter what approach they’ve gone for. So, make sure you enjoy the festive period and the different characters in your family – you’ll miss them this year.