Gift Giving Guy

Do your gifts need a creative whack? I’m a fan of Roger von Oech’s book, A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative. This author also distilled his creativity ideas into two decks of cards: The Creative Whack Pack and The Innovative Whack Pack. Creativity, according to von Oech, means overcoming mental blocks to successfully combine unconnected ideas. So for Christmas 2003, I gave my wife unconnected gifts, tied together by time.

The note card for my first set of gifts read:

Friday, April 7, 2000
We left work early on this snowy day. Together, we spent seven hours completing our registry. Inside these boxes are a few things we didn’t scan to the list.

When she opened the presents, she found a large square plate, a large pasta serving bowl and four rice bowls. All were from the casual china pattern chosen for our wedding, Noritake Colorwave Blue.

The second gift also had a milestone note card:

Thursday, August 2, 2001
On this day, we moved into our charming colonial home. Here is a traditional housewarming gift.

When she unwrapped this gift, she discovered a KitchenAid blender. Yes, I gave my wife a blender for Christmas. I’m sure you’ve heard the no-appliance rule for husbands: “Don’t give your wife anything with a cord that plugs in.” And the corollary to that rule is “Especially don’t give a blender.” If you read my January 11, 2008 post, you know what happens next. Inside the blender is another note card and a small Tiffany Blue Box.

Thursday, December 24, 1998 and Friday, October 6, 2000
Both were special days — our first Christmas together and our wedding day. Each day saw those little blue boxes you love.

The last gift I gave included this milestone note card.

Sunday, July 28, 2002
It’s the day after [your sister's] wedding, and we host a party on our new backyard brick patio. Inside you will find smaller bricks — and they are delicious.

This final gift complemented our Christmas morning coffee, Godiva’s large chocolate biscuit assortment.

So great gifts are creative ones — in this example, presents with a unifying theme. Sidestep rules like “don’t give a blender,” put a twist on your presentation, and turn it into a creative gift. But you can also make creative gifts (or have them made for you to give). Turn your digital photos into a bound hard-cover photo book. Give an artist a picture of your home and give your spouse a framed portrait of your dwelling. Or collaborate with your siblings to publish a family cookbook. And when your gifts are creative, chances are they will be surprising as well.