We sincerely hope you and your loved ones enjoyed a blessed Thanksgiving holiday. Whether you are home sleeping away your tummy ache or out and about with the Black-Friday enthusiasts, we have a blessing for you!
Gift-Giving Woes
Ever since I was a small child, I have enjoyed giving gifts. Sadly, I have not always been the greatest at it! I have a couple of tendencies which trip me up. For one, if someone seems to love a certain gift, he or she might open a different variation of that same gift every Christmas for the rest of his or her natural life. ~smile~ My friend, Lauran, has received her weight in coconut lotion over the years. My grandma got new large-print word find books every Christmas without fail. Though he claims he loves them, my dad owns Liberty Dad T-shirts in every available color. Why, yes, I did graduate in 2004! (Why yes, that was over a decade ago!) And, Mom has recently purged her house of dozens of porcelain dolls. She went through a porcelain doll phase when I was a teenager – and I did not want to let it die!
My other struggle comes with choosing gifts which speak directly to the recipient’s heart… which is strange because I am usually extremely empathetic. I pick up on emotions and notice people’s moods; so, you would think I could pick out an amazing gift with no problem. Instead, I tend to gravitate towards gifts I would appreciate or gifts which relate to them but are still off the mark. For example, I might give a golf-lover a figurine of a man playing golf when he would rather have golf balls or a new club.
People are Different! Who Knew?!
After a few years of completely flopping on the gift-giving front, I slowly began to realize that Eric is not a male version of me. Just because he likes Siberian Huskies does not mean he needs Siberian Husky stuffed animals. He might like Transformers, but he does not need a Transformers coloring book from the Dollar Tree. He enjoys games, but the kind of game he plays matters.
In using what we have already studied, and doing further research, about the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types, Eric and I created a resource to help others navigate the challenging task of providing their loved ones with meaningful gifts. When Eric purchased the now-famous Mr. Cuddles large teddy bear for me last year, it screamed, “I love you!” to me. But, had I done the same for him, it would not have produced nearly the same effect.
Since Eric and I created (and began using) Gift-Giving By Personality Type, our gift exchanges have become far more satisfying. Moving away from my old giving style took some time and paradigm shifting, but once I did, Eric felt more loved and understood by the gifts he received from me.
Enter to Win!
We want to make your gift shopping experience more fruitful and less stressful this season, so we are giving away a free copy of our book, Gift-Giving By Personality Type. This book provides a brief description of the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types and lists seven gift suggestions for each type. It has helped us personally and we want it to bless you as well!
To enter, simply reply to this post with one reason you are thankful this season. It is that simple! One lucky commenter will be chosen to win!
Do you want to become an extraordinary gift-giver?
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