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š Gift-givingās most taboo question
This is Better Gift Coach, where we teach you win-win gift-giving strategies.FYI - Better Gift Coach was featured in the New York Times over the weekend! Check out our advice on some of the most common holiday gift-giving FAQās.

Kinda how it happened...
Estimated read time: 1 minute & 59 seconds
šGIFT SCALE:

šTHE GIFT:
The āwish list" Gift
Every holiday season, my mom gives everyone in my family a really awesome, free āgiftā. My parents have 4 grown children who each have their own families. Every November, our mom proactively reaches out to each family and asks them to provide her a holiday wish list for everyone living in their household. Once she has a familyās wish list, she shares or āgiftsā them with the other families. From the gift-giverās perspective, having this list saves time and relieves the stress involved in finding the right gifts. From the gift-recipientās perspective, getting things they actually want limits awkwardness of bad gifts and time spent on returns/exchanges.
Content tags: less than $20, group, experience, tradition, best practices
š®WHY THIS GIFT IS GREAT:
Gift recipients get what they want
Saves all parties time, stress, and awkwardness
Providing a wish list is less uncomfortable when youāre asked for one and everyone is providing one
š If this gift idea is save-worthy, create a āGift Ideasā inbox folder & file it away for future use ~or~ find it again in our library.
YOUR VERSION OF THIS GIFT
š”TIPS FOR YOUR GIFT:
Asking āwhat gift do you want?ā is a winning strategy
Give experiences to those who say "I don't need anything"
If someone isnāt in the role of soliciting gift wish lists, be a hero by assuming that role
Not comfortable asking someone what they want? Ask their family/friends to find out for you
According to this study, gift recipients are more appreciative of gifts they request versus unrequested/surprise ones
To avoid duplicate gifts to the same person, consider a shared spreadsheet (like this free template we made just for you!) or designate someone to keep track

š¤GIFT BRAINSTORMING PROMPTS:
Stumped on a gift for someone? Have you asked them what they want yet? ____
Are you in a position to easily get a gift wish list from someone and share that with their friends/family? ____
ā¶ļøFORWARD THIS GIFT IDEA TO:
Grandparents
Someone with a large extended family
And introduce them to your favorite 1-minute a week shortcut to always having awesome gift ideas well in advance. They can read past editions and subscribe here.
š¤GIFT GIVING BY THE NUMBERS:
Following the 2021 holiday season, 33% of US adults expected to return a gift. (source)
šGIF/MEME:
All the best,Patrick KucharsonBetter Gift Coachā¢
P.S. You shouldn't need more convincing on why you should just ask someone what they want...but here you go.
Want more? Here's a few of our past popular posts:š Snap this pic before itās too lateš Holiday tipping Iām not skippingš One gift, a calendar of exciting moments
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