You mean, making gifts more personal? Yeah. It's the essence of what a gift is meant to be, really, isn't it? Something special that is just right for that exact person. I get almost beside myself around the Holidays, when I hear people complaining about all the shopping they "have to" do. If you feel that way, don't do it at all, because after all the tedious shopping is complete, you will most likely NOT have managed a single true gift.

My father's second wife is unusual in many ways. But the thing I really appreciate about her is that she is the only person I know who truly gives gifts. What she chooses for each person has obviously been clearly thought through and obtained, specifically with that person in mind. Some of her gifts are wacky, but always, they are right for the person for whom they were chosen. For instance, she knows that I LIKE old things, "previously owned" things. The amount spent on a gift gos far beyond money, and she has the money to afford pretty much anything--so to but something expensive is no great gift. Insyead, with me in mind, throughout the year, she hunts at garage sales and thrift stores, looking for really good quality kitchen stuff, or OLD,OLD recipe books that by now are half-nostalgia and half-pure humor. But, the thing is, she knows that those are the things which I will value most highly, and the amount of time and thought that goes into her purchases truly does make them gifts.