There is a subtle and caring art to gift giving and when you get it right the feelings are uplifting and exciting. It is hard to know what to give and how to give it so in this article we will look at precisely that. We will look at how to give gifts, what to give, and how to properly wrap and prepare the gifts. While the "art" of gift giving can come with stresses and worries, do keep in mind that giving is a creative, thoughtful process that is meant to be fun and exciting for both the giver and the receiver.

One of the best pieces of advice in gift giving is simply listening. If you spend any sort of time with someone leading up to a birthday or holiday of any kind, chances are they will let slip something that they have been wanting or something that they need. Be attentive to little things when you are around someone that you will soon be buying a gift for. If you are at the mall and walk past candy boxes with your friend and they exclaim how that would make such a good arrangement for the house, keep this in mind when the next holiday comes and the stress of the gift giving is removed entirely! Also, while selecting what to give, keep in mind the gift of experience almost always trumps a material gift. If you opt for an experience gift like rafting, or a ballet show, or movie tickets, it can be creative to provide a handful of tickets so that they can build their own company for the experience.

Cards should be looked at as the emotional topping on your gift. They are the small token of appreciation that can put a very simple gift well over the top. For instance, in our candy boxes example, a simple card attached saying something along the lines of; "A boxed treat almost as sweet as you! P.s. I'm always listening!" can create joy outside of just receiving something they wanted. This kind of accentuation creates friendship and happiness like gift giving should. As for receipts; give them for gifts that may deal with sizing or color options. If you are buying a purse for someone and there are three color options at the store, buy your best guess at what they would like but include the receipt and diffuse the situation by okaying them taking it back and selecting what they want.

Get crazy and get creative. Not only is thick wrapping paper a waste as we use it once and throw it away, but it is also expensive and can put a small dent in your gift giving budget. Keep it simple and tasteful and consider options such as; junk mail, children's art, old sheet music, newspaper, or anything you can find! Top all gifts with some accentuation like a homemade bow or small trinket. For the fisherman in your life top it with a fishing line bow and bobber.

The process of gift giving is exciting for both the giver and the receiver. Enjoy the process and be creative!