Since we were mere babies, most of us learned that " 'Tis better to give than to receive". Of course we didn't quite buy into that theory in our youth, as nothing felt better than that new bicycle, Lionel Train, Nintendo, Xbox, Barbie and Ken, or, you name it (depending on if you are male or female and whether you are from The Woodstock Generation or from Generation X)
But as we grew older, and hopefully wiser, we learned that giving was and is actually more fun. And then we (hopefully) evolved even further and discovered that giving a unique personalized type gift, was/is more exciting because it helps strengthen the bond in a friendship, reminding the other of commonalities, as it can be "human nature" to think of "our differences".
Gifts have been exchanged since the beginning of mankind. Grog probably gave Thorg a piece of dinosaur meat and later, to show mutual friendship, perhaps Thorg invented the wheel and gave Grog a copy of his prototype. But all that is history, or prehistory, as it were. Today the spirit of gift-giving is much more personal, especially though who have evolved enough to realize what our friends and other loved ones really mean to us.
Consider that a gift that you give may be "an extension of you" because it really is. The closer a gift that you give to reflect your personality, and how you feel it is similar to the recipients personality, the more valuable the gift, not to mention memorable, no matter what the cost.
i tend to use humor as a "coping mechanism" to get through the bumps that life offers and i tend to have friends who do similarly. We don't only look at each other as close friends, but as "life rafts in a choppy ocean' for each other, when the waters get rough. We live in a busy world, so it is not always easy to remember to pick up the phone or jot an email every few days and tell our friends how much we love them, admire their sense of humor, or any other term of endearment we might want to purvey, though that is not such a bad idea, and means much to many.
In our lightening-fast society of today we can celebrate milestone and occasions such as holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., it gives us a chance to tell a significant other, or others how we value them in the way of a unique or funny gift. These gifts do not have to be expensive, and in fact, are often very inexpensive, though to the recipient, have more value than an expensive one, if real thought goes into it. It may be less than the cost of a movie ticket and often is.
I am an e-store owner and cartoonist My hobby is cartoon collectibles. I love to receive funny cartoon tees, clocks, aprons and the like by other cartoonists. I put them on my walls, my bookshelves, etc. and that friend has reminded me that we both share a very common bond, a survivalist mechanism, fueled by humor and goodwill.
I find that when I receive gifts such as these, all I need do, if thinking a negative thought, is look at one of the items, or put on a one of my favorite cartoon tees or caps, or even use a cartoon mouse pad, and I am feeling better immediately.
Many Internet gift shops allow you to customize each item either free, and some of them up to two dollars. It's a wonderful way to share a personal note on a funny gift item, or even add your business name and web address, to make it a very powerful corporate gift that is most memorable as well. For instance, I am sipping my java from one now with a great friend's URL who lives two thousand miles away, but has one of my own cartoons on it. It was given to me as a gift. That was not only thoughtful, it was good business. He put some real thought into that, and I appreciate it.
About the Author:
For the funniest personalized gifts and collectibles on the Internet, try the award-winning Rick Londonwear Store.
