In this post: Eight fun, easy, creative, and scientifically-proven tips for how to pick meaningful gifts that you’ll be proud to give and that that lucky someone will truly treasure.

Give Great Gifts. Like Socks.

This morning, I couldn’t decide which socks to wear.

One pair, Kim’s mom gifted fancy aa medallions me for my birthday. The other, a Christmas present from my sister. Both brought happy memories of when I got them and the people who gave them to me.

I felt like I was choosing which gift, and which gift-giver, I liked most.

Then I had a thought that “knocked my socks off”:

These socks, the classic crappy present, were actually great gifts! I wear them all the time and whenever I do I’m thankful to the people who gave me them.

This realization buchona invitations plunged me into a deep dive into the psychology, studies, experts’ advice, and online accounts about gift-giving to rebuild my beliefs about how to pick gifts.

1. Give Problem-Solvers

One of the biggest mistakes we make when buying gifts for others (and for ourselves) is thinking are yak chews safe for dogs that giving more stuff makes people happier.

That’s backwards.

Happiness doesn’t come from adding positives. It comes from removing negatives.

So when it comes to how to pick gifts, find a problem in your recipient’s life and solve it with your generosity.

Examples:

Fix annoyances: Get their knives sharpened, buy them black-out blinds, tomahawk steak near me or pay for a handyman to go to their house and fix up the little things like squeaky doors, broken light switches, and leaking sinks.

That’s backwards.

How to Pick Gifts Even Better Than Santa Using Science