Ever gotten a gift with your name, initials or catchphrase on it? If you’re nodding yes, you know firsthand the warm and fuzzy feeling you experienced. Personalized gifts are just better, right? Now imagine being the intensely advanced and wonderful-in-every-way giver of such gifts. You’ve just solidified your newly minted spot as the gift whisperer. We’ve got five bulletproof reasons to make personalized gifts your go-to for all your favorite people.
1. ADD A LEVEL OF CONNECTION
When it comes right down to it, we all want to be known and loved. You’re welcome for the sappy sentiment. But teacher and researcher Brené Brown lauds being seen and known for who you truly are as a great connector between two people. Personalized gifts go the extra mile in showing someone that you know and have considered them in a way that is deeper and more meaningful than just picking up a cool mug at a rando gas station.
Who wouldn’t remember getting a personalized camp axe as a half-birthday gift? First of all, nobody ever expects an axe as a gift. That’s win number one. Second, to have such a survival tool personalized will ensure that every other jealous lumberjack out there won’t be so quick to purloin such a precious chopper.
2. MAKE IT MEMORABLE
Whether it’s an old college nickname or a cheesy pickup line that actually worked, there are endless options for personalization. We recommend going the humorous route. Get “Big Gulp” inscribed on a giant beer stein though, and you’ll keep him laughing every time he fills ‘er up.There have been multiple studies done that sing the praises of laughter both reducing the stress hormone cortisol and improving short term memory. Study author Dr. Gurinder S. Bains says, “Excess cortisol can damage the hippocampus—the part of the brain that consolidates short-term memory—and can eventually impair learning and memory. Humor and laughter can be integrated into a whole-person wellness plan that can translate into improvements in your quality of life: mind, body and spirit.”
So basically, your funny, memorable gift has the power to VERY LITERALLY impact memory. Nice two-fer.
3. THOUGHTFULNESS GOES A LONG WAY
Look, it takes time and effort to get a truly good gift for someone. But to personalize it on top of that is like offering a blood transfusion on the spot out of the goodness of your heart. Okay, maybe it’s not that serious. But it can feel that way to the recipient.
We live in a ridiculously fast-paced culture that leans much more heavily toward convenience than effort. So putting thought behind a gift for someone who is well aware that this kind of forethought is less and less the norm will long be remembered. Don’t be surprised if you get an invite over to that sweet bonfire next week to drink a few beers and strum a few tunes. Folks who are wowed by their gifts tend to want to share the love!
4. GIVE THE GIFT OF FEELING
Perhaps you’ve heard poet Maya Angelou’s famous quote, “At the end of the day, people won't remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” Maya knows her sh...tick. Evoking some kind of emotion is the bread and butter of personalized gifts. It doesn’t matter if you’re going for joy, surprise, laughter or mild shock and awe. The feeling you give along with your gift is what will stick for the duration of a person’s life.
There’s a pretty good chance your gift will turn your friend or loved one into the inevitable grandpa who tells his favorite story over and over. You know, the one about that time he got the best whiskey glasses and had to open the crate with a crowbar, which he then used to fight off the coyote that went after Mr. Shakes, the chihuahua. Ah, it never gets old.
5. NAMES MEAN MORE
Dale Carnegie, self-improvement guru who penned How To Win Friends and Influence People, one of the first best-selling self-help books ever published, said to “Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
I don’t know about you, but it seems to me like a solid move to take the advice of the guy who literally wrote the book on making friends. I heard this quote for the first time a long time ago and it always stuck with me—kind of like my name on a really cool flask. Ok, my name’s not Jason, but you get the picture.
Personalized gift-giving. When a gift without state-of-the-art laser etching just won’t do.