In need of a gift giving upgrade?
You don't need fancy facial recognition software, or a Voight-Kampff machine straight out of Blade Runner to notice a polite, and underwhelmed, smile when they receive a lackluster gift.
Still not sure? That smile is usually followed by an awkward hug and two words that will seal your gift giving doom: "It's great."
It's not.
But don't worry, we're here to help.
Here are a few categories of gift giver that you can potentially fall into:
The Forgetful Giver - Completely loses track of things like birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's, and, unfortunately, may also misplace his significant other.
The Typical Giver - Flowers, something sweet, and a card. It may not be the exact same items, but this is still a version of re-gifting.
The Thoughtful Giver - This is the giver that understands the gifting market, and seeks to improve upon it.
So let's be honest. Real talk time. You want to be the Thoughtful Giver. You don't want to be like one of those Holiday Shopping Disaster-Type Givers, so let's give you the tools to raise up your gift giving game.
In a day and age when e-mail feels a little old fashioned, you can't go wrong with gorgeous ink and paper. Sure, you can go the whole construction paper and macaroni stick figures route if you want to pop by Michael's or Hobby Lobby, but a thoughtful note on beautiful stationary is a huge upgrade over the "custom gift card" option via Amazon, and will be a sure-fire keepsake.
By the way, we love Rifle Paper Company for this one.
Sure, you can pick up some tickets to the Backstreet Boys reunion tour, but what if you spent a little extra money, maybe even donated to a charitable cause, and was able to meet them backstage?
A site like Charitybuzz.com has plenty of options, sorry nothing on the Backstreet Boys as of this publishing, and all goes towards a great cause.
If you haven't hopped on Airbnb yet, you're missing out. In addition to the incredible selection of affordable to chic locations you can utilize, the site can turn a date night into an easy Stay-cation.
Going for more of a Vacation approach? Slip a flight itinerary into a card, or pick your better half up for lunch and drive them straight to the airport.
Yeah, yeah, yeah… here it comes, but think about what we are going for here - something thoughtful, out of the ordinary, essentially remixing what you'd normally do in your Gift Giving Mode.
Yes, and you’re no twinkle toes, you have 17 left feet, and beer has been your dance partner all your life.
That's why we invented dance lessons. Okay, so maybe we didn't invent them, but that's why we teach them. For people that want to get better at dancing.
Fortunately for you, this choice not only upgrades your dance skills, but it also upgrades your Gift Giving cache. In fact, presenting the gift of dance lessons not only makes you a Thoughtful Giver, it puts you in the Top 1% of Thoughtful Givers.
Try it and see for yourself.
Are you ready to give dancing a try? Whether you're wanting to learn with someone special or just for yourself, you can start with a free private lesson to see why Arthur Murray has been the leader in ballroom dance instruction since 1912.