The Value of Sympathy Gift: You may be used to getting gifts from people, but the truth is, not everybody lives in that reality. Sometimes you’ll give somebody a little trinket, and it affects them so profoundly, you just made a friend for life—provided, of course, you don’t do anything to tarnish that reality. This is especially true with sympathy gift.
In fact, some cultures don’t like gifts because the feeling of receiving them is so profound, that people feel they owe the giver after the fact. Many eastern cultures have this perspective, or something like it.
In some eastern cultures, a gift is a sort of like an investment in a person toward a future expected outcome, and this is widely understood locally. In China, you might have to give someone a gift two or three times before they accept it.
Thankfully, that’s generally not how things are in the west. Gifts are often seen as expressions of empathy, love, or other care. If you’re having trouble knowing what to get, consider the following tips.
1. Something that Shows You Were Listening
Not all gifts are created equal. Some are going to be more well-received than others. Certainly, it will depend on the temperament of the recipient.
If you listen carefully to the needs of someone you love or care about, and provide something which helps emphasize your understanding of what they’ve told you, that’s a thoughtful sympathy gift. The link has examples of such Fabulous gifts you might want to consider.
Something thoughtful indicates you legitimately care—you cared enough to listen before there was a need for the gift. Just knowing this can do much to help someone recover from whatever difficulty they’re contending with.
2. A Practical Gift
Maybe you’ve got a friend who crashed their car, and you can afford to get them a little motorized scooter. It’s not particularly thoughtful, but it is practical, and it will help them get from point A to point B in the interim; they’ll definitely appreciate such a gift. Practicality is a big part of effective gift giving.
3. Something That’s Purely for Fun
Gifts may not be practical, and they may not show you were listening. However, sometimes, the point of a gift is just to get someone’s mind off their pain. Now, you don’t want to give them an extra chore. For example, everybody loves puppies and kittens. Cleaning up after them, taking them to the vet, buying food for them, etc – these aren’t desired chores.
So if you get them something that’s just confetti, be sure it won’t end up being a burden to them. Chocolate, candy, donuts, flowers; these kinds of gifts can be absolutely perfect.
A Gift That Helps Someone Through a Hard Situation
Fun presents, practical gifts, and those which demonstrate you were listening are all good options if you’re looking to show friends or family that you have sympathy gift for their situation. It’s always good to know you’re not alone, and that someone cares. You’ve been hurting before, and seen the power such a little gesture can bring. Do the same for someone else.
