The Value of personalised gifts
by Tash Hughes of Love Santa
In these days of materialism, most of us and especially children have many possessions. And with each Christmas and birthday, we tend to increase the total. Our houses are overflowing with things – unless we are strong enough to throw a lot out, of course!
Making it special
When we give a gift, we want to make the other person feel happy and valued. Often we want to give something that will be a lasting symbol of our care for that person. Yet with the amount of stuff our friends and family have, it isn’t easy to find a gift that they’ll enjoy and that is still different or even unique.
One way to give a gift of difference is to choose a personalised gift. That is, having the person’s name or image somehow incorporated onto the gift.
What sort of personalised gift?
Personalised gifts can be:
Letters written to the person (written by you or purchased)
Poems and books referring to the person
A set of letters or a plaque to hang on a door
A poem made from the first letters of the person’s name or about them as a person
Toys, combs, money boxes, etc with name printed on the item
Music including the person’s name in the songs and on the cover
A puzzle made out of the letters of the person’s name
Their name embroidered, painted or knitted on clothes
A piece of art (painting, sketch, cross stitch, framed photo, scrapbook or framed scrapbook page etc) based on something dear to the person (for example, their own face, a favourite pet, their house or a significant event)
Adding a photo to something like a mug, mouse pad or key ring
You could make a personalised gift if you have the skills to do so. Otherwise, there are a number of businesses that can help you, from those that specialise in personalised items as gifts to those that have other purposes, such as a uniform embroidery service.
Value of personal gifts to kids
As well as being something they may enjoy, personalised gifts have a number of advantages for children.
When children see their name in print, they get excited and feel important. They have been recognised and acknowledged and that’s a great self-esteem booster.
Anything with your name on it is going to be harder to loose, so parents and children appreciate personalised items. Children also love being able to keep siblings away from their things, and personalised item clearly belongs to a particular child.
A personalised gift stands out amongst many gifts and toys they may receive at one time.
With the number of things they have, children are sometimes less than careful with their things. Something with their name on it can be seen as really special so the child may look after it with extra care. This is a valuable lesson in showing respect to belongings and gifts.
Delight a special child this Christmas with a personalised letter from Love Santa, or share your Christmas stories and traditions in the Love Santa blog. Simply complete an online form with some details about your child, and they’ll get an individual letter relating to a hot Australian Christmas and listing their good deeds. All letters are written by professional writer Tash Hughes. This article is copyright by Tash Hughes, 2007, but may be reproduced in full as long as nothing is changed and this bio box is included.