When it comes to planning and shopping for gifts, some people see it as a chore that needs to be completed as quickly and painlessly as possible. For other, it’s the hunt for that rare ‘perfect’ gift. Which category do you fall into? Answer the following questions to find out...
1. To get inspiration, you:
a. Rely on your intuition
b. Use your imagination
c. Scour catalogues and websites
d. Improvise
2. The present you had wanted to buy is no longer available. You:
a. Get the thing nearest to it in the ship.
b. Are angry with yourself for not buying it sooner.
c. Buy the materials to make one yourself. It can’t be that hard.
d. Look around the shop to see if you can find something else.
3. Someone in your family has given you a list of things they want. What’s your reaction?
a. You won’t be consulting it. Why ruin the surprise?
b. You are hugely relieved to have some guidance.
c. You’ll take it shopping with you in case you need it.
d. You like the idea but wonder which present on the list they want the most.
4. Your sister-in-law suggests you get a play mat for her little boy. You:
a. Study at length the relative merits of different play mats.
b. Find one you like, but have other things in mind just in case.
c. Buy the first one you see in the shop.
d. Let someone else get the play mat – you’ll think of something more original.
5. Your mum doesn’t seem to like the present you got her. You are:
a. Annoyed.
b. Relaxed about it.
c. A little irritated.
d. Disappointed.
6. Your nephews are unwrapping an enormous pile of presents. You think:
a. At least there will be one present they’ll be pleased with.
b. They would have more fun with a piece of wood and some string.
c. They aren’t even taking time to appreciate their presents.
d. Next year I won’t bother buying anything and they won’t even notice.
7. When you were little and you got a present you didn’t really like, you:
a. Just left it in a corner.
b. Adapted it to turn it into something you liked more.
c. Played with it anyway so that no one noticed.
d. Cried.
8. If you could ask for any gift, what would it be?
a. Eternal youth.
b. Endless riches.
c. Happiness.
d. A fairy godmother to grant your wishes.
Now add up how many times you chose each alphabet
What Your Score Says About You
Mostly As
You give with pleasure
Giving to others gives you great pleasure. When an occasion comes you like to take time to look for something nice for each person you are close to and you allow intuition to be your guide. You draw on what you know about the person – their tastes and personality – and you often have a few ideas right from the start.
You allow yourself freedom when planning your purchases. You know you don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money because you understand that the important thing is to give someone pleasure, and enjoy the moment of seeing someone else happy with what you have given them. You are quite capable of buying someone something you personally don’t like, but you know they will love.
Not everyone has these abilities. It all depends on a capacity to give sincerely and without an ulterior motive about what you might get in return. Keep going the way you are – giving is its own reward.
Mostly Bs
You give with originality
What you bring to buy a present is originality. You love to think of really incredible ideas. You manage to get unique and memorable presents for people as a result.
To this end you go to shops that aren’t usually on the shoppers’ radar, such as local boutiques with an off-beat style. You also like to use your creative imagination and sometimes you make things for people.
Your giving style is indicative of the fact that you see yourself as different from other people.
Why do you shop like this? Perhaps because you want to show the person for whom you have bought the present that you are different from everyone else who loves them, to prove that your love for them is special, irreplaceable, unique…
The present is a part of yourself that you are giving, which is why you find it so painful if the recipient does not seem to appreciate its value.
Hold on to your originality but try to lessen the personal investment you make in your shopping to put a bit of distance between you and the things you give.
Mostly Cs
You give with indifference
You get your shopping done but it’s not much more than a chore. As soon as Eid arrives you get everyone to tell you what they’d like. You are not interested in thinking up your own ideas. You try to do all shopping in one trip, as efficiently and quickly as possible.
But why this detachment? Your mistrustful feelings are preventing you from making an emotional investment.
This is probably because you don’t really like giving presents. But rather than arriving empty-handed on Eid day you just buy the first thing you see.
The message you are sending, however, is clear; ‘I have no desire to make you happy’.
This behaviour is directed at specific people: those for whom you feel real anger or resentment but whom you are afraid to confront.
Be clearer about how you feel. And you might find it would help to think about what you could give people that would really give them pleasure.
Mostly Ds
You give with apprehension
You dread shopping. Months ahead, you start to get an inkling of the stress to come, with the annual treasure hunt. The treasure you are hunting for is that magic present, that gift that you have to track down, come what may, the one that is just the right thing.
You will hunt high and low for this ‘perfect’ present, for your flash of inspiration – and you will take your time. Once you’ve seen something you might buy you go back and look at it several times, wondering if it is the right thing to get. You roam the shops looking for what you need, caught between determination and hesitation. Because just as you are about to buy something, doubt suddenly strikes, and you wonder ‘Is this really something they will want?’
This is a constant fear: that people won’t want the gifts you have bought them. You think they will mock you for your lack of taste, judge you, or even let you know they don’t like you. It’s no wonder you feel under pressure.
Remember that there is no such thing as the perfect present, but many different kinds of giving.n
