Mounds of festive wrapping paper line heavily decorated rooms as the early morning light streams pleasantly through the windows, casting a heavenly glow upon perfectly aligned stockings and glittering ornaments adorning the trees. It’s the wee hours of Christmas day and millions of children are ripping open boxes and boxes full of… utter disappointment.
These echoes of discontent also reverberate throughout birthdays as well as holidays such as Hanukkah and Valentine’s Day.
In a society founded upon freedom and the general right of choice, it is difficult to believe that those ideals are not exercised in one of human nature’s most sacred instinctual practices- gift giving.
It is easier than ever to award someone with the option to choose their own possession.
Most Americans can recall the first world problem of receiving a gift they don’t necessarily like from someone they care about and although everyone should be grateful for whatever they receive, there is a way to make this process more efficient and positive for not only the recipients but also the givers.
Usually givers fear that the recipient will dislike their present, but now that we are in the modern age, it is easier than ever to award someone with the option to choose their own possession.
Through gifting a gift card, the giver isn’t only spending their money wisely but also ensuring the success of their endeavor to please the recipient. Instead of wasting time and money speculating and ultimately buying a gift that the recipient will never use, a giver could go into almost any multipurpose store and purchase an all encompassing card.
In this, the giver has the ability to chose where the user can spend the money or they can go with an option that allows for the user to spend wherever they see fit such as with a Visa gift card. This option is almost always preferable in that it grants the recipient with versatility where they can buy something that they have always wanted, save it for a rainy day emergency, or really do anything they want with it.
As for the sentimental part of gift giving, a physical pre-chosen present is not in the least bit alluring to anyone, especially if it does not relate to their interest. A horrible physical present has the power to ruin relationships in that it the recipient could feel misunderstood by the giver and thus strain or terminate the relationship.
Overall, gift cards are overtly better than physical gifts in that they allow for freedom, efficiency, and more personalized experience for the recipient.
Photo by Genna Nordling
