The best gift anyone has ever given me has been a bag of sea shells. They cost nothing, but it was a profoundly moving moment to realize this person had been saving the sea shells I'd been handing him since I was a child.
One Reddit user asked:
What are inexpensive gifts you enjoy receiving?
and the comments section absolutely reaffirmed what I felt in that moment. It's not the cost that makes a gift great - it's the sentiment and message that the gift conveys. A really good gift tells the person that you know them, you see them, you think of them and appreciate them in some way.
Gold and diamonds aren't the only way to show that. Sometimes all it takes is something little like:
A Tired Nurse and Mother
My husband has bought me expensive jewelry including diamond rings etc.. But one of my favorite things he has ever done for me was when I came home from work to a steak dinner on the table. I'm in nursing school and working as a CNA so it meant a lot to be able to just come home and eat a nice meal that I didn't have to cook.
I also love it when my kids give me anything. When The Minions movie came out I had mentioned that I thought the minions were cute. My oldest daughter was about 6 at the time. We went to McDonald's and she got happy meal with a minion ornament thing and she gave it to me. I hung it in my rear view mirror and there it stays! I've had it for about 5 years now.
My youngest daughter gave me a little coaster thing that has a frog on it that says "mom." It sits on my desk and put my cactus on it.
Socks
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I feel like the threshold of adulthood is purely based on whether you're disappointed or excited about getting socks for Christmas.
I'm away on a short break this week and treated myself to some new thick socks for all the walking around we'll be doing (10 miles today BTW). Pulling on new socks every day is wonderful. I also bought new bamboo fabric underwear too. Bliss.
Dude I used to think people were joking when they said this, but man, getting socks gets me so excited, especially bulk packs.
Hand-Made
Anything handmade. I just appreciate the sentiment behind it even if it's cheap you took the time to make it for me time your not gonna get back. So I love when I get handmade gifts
This. Every year, I'll write in my Reddit secret santa that if they're crafty, I'd love something they made. Only ever received one, but it hangs in a place of pride on my Christmas tree every year and I keep the hand painted card on display in my workshop year round.
Professional Gifting
A handwritten card, flowers, nuts, fine-tip pens, a potted cactus, gift card for movie tickets (before this year, at least), craft beer 6-pack, kitchen implements (like nice wooden spoons or really sharp scissors), a handsome journal or notepad, solar phone charger.
I used to be the buyer for all employee gifts at my company, not because I worked in HR or admin, but because I like it and am good at it.
Pick Your Pick
A bulk pack of guitar picks, every person who plays guitar will know how much of a pain in the ass it is to lose a pick.
- Verne_
I buy them by the hundreds - keeps me going for about 5 years, because for every 2 I lose, I find 1.
- squ1bs
I used to lose them all the time. Then I made a DIY transparent one as a joke and of course I've never lost it. I've had it for over 2 years now and still use it...
Mars
A Mars bar. It's my comfort food. My hug to myself. My pat on the back for making it through a hard day. When a friend who knows all this gets me a mars bar it's such a beautiful gesture, I cry every time.
Happy Birthday Jack-o-Lantern
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Every year on my birthday (late October) my friend gives me a pumpkin from her garden, and I always use it for my jack-o'-lantern. I love it!
Positively Positive
Home made cookies, a hand drawn comic, even a fancy bar of chocolate is under $7. Clean the kitchen, sweep/vacuum the house, or a foot rub.
Nothing beats positive attention.
- seadecay
Movie Candy
Any kind of those $1 boxes of movie theater candy. I'll take them all!
I once put together a little gift basket of these for one of my kids as part of his birthday. He LOVED it. That was years ago and he has continued to ask for that every year, and to request the same thing in his stocking at Christmas. He always says he doesn't need anything except a $20 Steam card, and boxes of movie candy.
Rocks Rock
Interesting shaped and/or colored rocks people have picked up while outside/on a trip. Find a rock that's purple or looks kind of like a heart? Maybe one that's green with colorful flecks? One made perfectly smooth by water? If you bring it to me I will be happy. (I wish I could afford a rock tumblr.)
I also like rusty old square nails, bits of old broken pottery, and shards of purple glass. I hope someday someone will bring me seaglass or I find some.
And There's Cake Involved
My husband will on his way home from work sometimes at our favorite bakery (the one that made our wedding cake) and bring me home a cupcake. A sweet gesture and there's cake involved. Can't beat that.
A Special Scavenger Hunt
A Starbucks latte always brightens my day, flowers, chocolates and I still love getting stuffed animals even as an adult lol I once woke up to a 'scavenger hunt' of handwritten notes with a clue to the next one and a lovely compliment on each. That makes me feel so special
I actually have to ask not to be given jewelry or clothes because even I struggle finding things I like and it's too much money for the risk lol. Some guys have been legit offended by this? But I'm just being honest
Not Hard To Please
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Puzzles.
I love puzzles... things like rubik's cube or variations of it, wooden puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, any puzzles.
I'm not a hard person to please.
Before He Needs It
Honestly I find it more fun to find out what those things are for my husband. Like sometimes I'll pay extra close attention to his shampoo brand if it's low and then get him more before he realizes he needs it. Basically if I can take like 5 minutes of my time to make his day way better today/tomorrow, I'm all about those "gifts".
The Card Counts
I personally love getting cards. Even without any sort of gift. I feel like these days we don't really take the time to say nice things to people, particularly not in writing, and cards are a really great way to do that. They can also be kept as a sentimental thing and they're super cheap. You can make your own with just a piece of paper and a pen.
- auditail
Basmati Jeans
Fave from Mom: she took this old pair of Guess jeans that I wore to threads in some areas. She keeps old jeans for patching, projects and the like. 5 or so years on, she had taken the jeans and sewn them into one of those microwavable rice bags, you know for when you have an achy neck.
It smells like basmati, it's my old jeans, and she sewed a belt loop on the top for hanging even....melted my heart, and I'll have it forever.
Thought Of You
Anything that comes with the person giving it to me saying, "I saw this and thought of you!" Whether it's a drink or a treat, or a little flamingo or cat thing, or a cool pen... just the fact that someone thought of me and knew it was something I'd like really means a lot.
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