Gift giving and receiving among family, co-workers, and friends are one of life’s pleasures.  However if we give a gift, it doesn’t mean that we should expect a gift in return. Nor does it mean we should feel guilt or lie if we don’t have a gift to give someone who has given to us. 

When you receive a gift, especially in person, you must make sure you sincerely thank the giver. If it is something we really like, this is easy. However, if the gift is something we do not like, it is better to focus on the spirit of generosity rather than lie and say it’s the most perfect thing you’ve ever been given.  

If someone gives you a gift and you do not have one in return, the best thing you can do is to keep your focus on their generosity and not on your lack of gift. Lying and saying that their present is in the mail or that you left it on the counter at home is totally unnecessary.  If you focus on the moment you are in and on the generosity of the person who gave you the gift, you’ll be honouring the moment. 

You can always use this experience to inspire you to get a gift for them in the future. When we start to go into a bunch of excuses, “I didn’t realize we were doing gifts for each other this year.” or something similar, we diminish the spirit of generosity and place more importance on our lack of gift than on the gift we are receiving. Stay focused on the present. 

There is nothing more satisfying than picking out the perfect gift. It’s a special thing to totally nail it when it comes to gifts and an absolute delight for both the person receiving it and the person giving it.  But this rarely happens. Not every gift has to be a perfect surprise or winner. When you don’t have that great inspiration idea for a gift, get something the person will like and enjoy and keep it simple. 

Make sure to wrap your gift beautifully and attach a card with a heartfelt message