Create a Holiday Wish List for Your Partner by Lisa
There’s a long-standing belief in our consumer-driven society that knowing exactly what someone wants and buying it for them is the ultimate expression of love. However, this is not necessarily the case. While gift–giving can be a wonderful way to show someone you care, it’s not the only way to express love. Yes, it’s a lovely gesture to surprise your partner with a piece of jewellery they’ve been eyeing, but it’s not the definitive demonstration of affection.
In today’s world, we’re constantly bombarded with an array of products, leading us to create needs before we even have desires. For instance, I once bought a pair of waterproof tennis shoes after seeing an ad on Instagram, despite living in Los Angeles where it hardly ever rains. This was clearly an unnecessary purchase, but the power of advertising convinced me otherwise. (For the record, I rarely visit the beach and have no intention of wading into the water with shoes on.)
The point is, there are countless items your partner might want or like, and any one of them could make a great gift (the tennis shoes are actually quite good). There are also more sentimental gift options, such as concert tickets to see the band you both bonded over on your first date, or a photo album – a truly special gift in an era where printed photos are a rarity. These gifts are wonderful expressions of love. Some might be a hit, others a miss, but your partner will undoubtedly appreciate the thought behind them.
However, there’s a unique kind of disappointment that comes with receiving or giving a gift that doesn’t quite hit the mark. It might be a nice gesture, but if it’s something they’ll never use, it can feel like a wasted effort. This is something I’m particularly sensitive to, having grown up in a family where gift-giving was a fraught affair. My college roommate, on the other hand, had a refreshingly mature approach to gift-giving: if you don’t like it, simply return it.
Unfortunately, not everyone can be as pragmatic as my roommate and her family, brushing off the disappointment of a gift not being well-received. It can feel like a personal failure, as if you’ve misunderstood the person or the nature of your relationship. This is often due to the common human tendency to give others what we ourselves would like to receive, both in terms of affection and gifts.