Gifting is a good way of expressing your appreciation towards someone. Gifts help in establishing a long-term connection with someone and are a beautiful way of communicating your feelings to someone. People generally exchange gifts on holidays, birthdays or anniversaries, or any other special occasion to show love and devotion to each other.
But there are chances of having an awkward moment while exchanging the gifts, especially when you don’t know the person giving or receiving the gift that well. To avoid such situations there are certain etiquettes that one can follow while giving or receiving a gift. Some such modern etiquette for giving and receiving gifts are discussed below:
Always keep ready-to-go gifts on hand
Gifting is a simple and thoughtful gesture and is very common during special occasions. People give gifts without any expectation but one must always be ready with a small token of appreciation in exchange for the gift. These generic ready-to-go gifts need not necessarily be expensive but something like candles, chocolates, or some souvenir can serve the purpose. Sometimes people feel forced to give gifts of equal value as they received. This thought can increase your budget and can decrease the meaningfulness behind the gift.
Be aware of the culture
Every culture has its gifting norms and there are high chances that you can offend someone if proper etiquette is not rightfully followed. For example, it is inappropriate to gift items like scissors, umbrellas, knives, or clocks to someone in Chain. For them, such items symbolize bad luck and misfortune. If you are invited by a Muslim family, never carry a bottle of alcohol as a gift. Alcohol is against their religious beliefs and is considered taboo. The purpose of gifts is to show appreciation not to offend the receiver. Always consider the cultural protocols before gifting something to someone.
Be polite while receiving the gift
Always be polite and acknowledge the gift regardless of whether you liked it or not. Receiving a gift is an act of kindness by the giver, and deserves the rightful amount of appreciation. You can say the word “thank you” to show appreciation or say something nice about the gift while mentioning the name of the giver. You can get them a return gift as an appreciation token or just use the gift in front of them. These small gestures can make a lot of difference.
Presence of the giver and the receiver
While unwrapping the gift, it is always finer that both the receiver and the giver are present in the room. It is a graceful way to thank the giver right after unveiling the gift. Moments like these create a connection of love and appreciation between the giver and receiver, which is ultimately the whole purpose of exchanging gifts.
Conclusion
Gifts that you give and the way you receive a gift speak a lot about your personality. Always remember to graciously accept and handle your gift even if you don’t like it. Never gift something to someone that can make them feel uncomfortable. Keep your gift simple and shower love and appreciation through your gifts.
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