Gifts go hand-in-hand with holidays and personal celebrations. We mark special occasions with ceremonies or festivities as determined by calendar day, like national or religious holidays, or as events in life’s journey from birth to death—baby showers and birthdays, marriages and anniversaries, graduations and retirements.

So, it makes perfect sense to begin thinking about a gift in relation to the holiday or occasion. Giving gifts is one of the social rituals that create individual well being and civil societies; it is a part of the social interaction that establishes and nurtures intimate relationships and on-going friendships. From the beginning of civilization, gifts have been the oil that soothes and smoothes human relationships, providing symbolic messages of peace, love, belonging, and appreciation.

Although we show gratitude and affection throughout the year, most of us give more formal gifts as part of family custom or friendship when celebrating certain holidays and personal life events. The mutual exchange of presents among family and friends at these times creates a sense of social well being and belonging. Gifts should be motivated by positive feelings and regard for one another, not a sense of obligation. Nor should gifts be given to get something in return. A true gift is offered unconditionally, from the heart, and is fitting to the resources of the giver.

As tokens of our social bonds, gifts express love and care as well as our appreciation for and pride in one another. Gift giving from the heart is an impulse to share what we have with each other and to give out of love and friendship.

Follow these links to further explore unique gift ideas based on a specific occasion—by holiday or to celebrate a special life event.


By Holidays... Unique Gift Ideas and Holiday Traditions for Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

In contrast to personal celebrations (see Events), national holidays are determined by the calendar and are more societal or cultural in nature. Popular gift-giving occasions have typically evolved from religious or secular anniversaries—Christmas and New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are the most recent calendar additions involving cards and gifts, reminding us to honor the importance and influence of parents in shaping the character and capabilities of their children.

Other national holidays are less likely to involve individual gift giving, but involve national and community observances. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day are now more likely to be viewed as opportunities for weekend getaways or extending summer vacation. Friends and families may host picnics and BBQs in conjunctions with parades, fireworks, and other local festivities.

National days of remembrance, such as Presidents’ Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, July Fourth, and Veteran’s Day, are important to observe for the gifts that others have given to us in terms of liberty, freedom, and equal rights, which we often take for granted without realizing the ultimate sacrifice of individual lives that were sometimes required to procure and protect this great country.

Share your own unique gift ideas and information about different holiday traditions to help us all better enjoy special festivities with family and friends.

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By Life Event... Unique Gift Ideas for Celebrating Life’s Special Events: Birthday, Graduation, Wedding, Baby Shower, Anniversary, Housewarming, Retirement, In Memoriam.

We celebrate life’s special events with family and friends. From birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries to baby showers, graduations, and housewarmings, getting together is part of the way we celebrate these important milestones. And giving gifts is part of the interaction that establishes and nurtures intimate relationships and on-going friendships. Gifts have always been part of the social glue that creates individual well being and civil societies. No more is this apparent than in the customs and traditions associated with celebrating the major life events that accompany the human journey from birth to death.

And, in today’s world, we believe that a little mindfulness and understanding of the gift-giving process will help each of us enrich our relationships and better communicate our love and appreciation as we celebrate life’s journey with each other.

A larger group encircles each of us, whether familial, cultural, or social. When referring to personal life events, we mean those occasions when the individual is celebrated—for their birth, for their successes, for their progeny, and for their accomplishments over a lifetime. These special events range from simple family affairs to elaborate ceremonies and feasts that include not only family and friends, but members of one’s larger community—neighbors, church or club members, and work acquaintances.

Significant life events include birthdays, graduations, weddings, baby showers, and funerals. Other personal events frequently celebrated might include a christening, housewarming, retirement, accomplishment of a personal goal, or overcoming some personal obstacle.

While customs vary widely—depending on culture and custom as well as the preferences or traditions adapted by individual families—the giving of gifts at times of celebration is typically part of the festivities.

Share with us some of the unique gift ideas you've discovered to celebrate life’s special events with your family and friends.

Birthday...
Graduation…
Wedding…
Baby Shower…
Anniversary…
Housewarming…
Retirement…
In Memoriam…
Other…


Use Special Holiday Traditions to Enhance Your Celebrations...

While gift giving is a social ritual we use to communicate affection and appreciation, tradition conveys extra meaning and connection when we celebrate different holidays and significant events during life’s journey. Combining old traditions with customs unique to you, your family, and friends can create wonderful memories. Special occasions and their associated themes often generate gift ideas for commemorating shared holidays, life passages, special events, and anniversaries.


Why Do We Give Gifts?

Gift giving is part of social ritual. The giving of gifts is documented in almost every civilization from the beginning of time. Whether a simple exchange or an elaborate ritual, the gift symbolizes a giving up or giving from oneself to honor or celebrate another person. The meanings associated with gift exchange are weighted with culture and custom and typically occurred in the presence of the larger social group (e.g., family, clan, tribe).

Characteristics of that process of giving gifts were highly ritualized in many cases around uniquely human occurrences (e.g., birth, marriage, and death) and seasonal changes involving human survival (e.g., planting, harvest, arrival of outsiders). In their most highly ritualized form, gift giving was documented in many religious ceremonies, in which humankind gave offerings to the gods in recognition of their powers over and seeming influence over human destiny.

Cultural, religious, and historical influences and events reveal differences in specific customs, but the human intent of gift giving has remained constant. The giving of a gift symbolizes a recognition, honoring, and appreciation of the recipient. The gift itself is typically a product or output of the resources available to the giver. Specific instances may have a tradition in which certain gifts are considered more appropriate than others.

In some cultures, expectations concerning the hospitality and honor required to host such celebrations required more resources than a single individual family possessed, resulting in reliance on the resources of the extended family or community.  In the United States, many individuals exhibit the same expectations and use loans or credit cards to finance the celebrations of major life events.

Celebrate Specific Holidays with Unique Gifts and Special Traditions...

Everyone has a favorite holiday and usually it's Christmas! Beyond the frenzied opening of presents, often, it's the memories and associations from childhood that make it special still—trimming the tree, baking cookies, outdoor caroling, lighting candles, visiting relatives.

Holidays that weren’t such a big deal to you as a kid, probably still aren’t. But, for those special holidays, your family is still getting together!

What makes a religious festival—like Christmas—or a national anniversary—like Thanksgiving—special? Meaningful? Do you dread the obligatory appearances or expectations of gift giving? Do you embrace the secular? Do you keep family-based cultural traditions alive? The answers to such questions are highly personal and, as such, the right answers are those you choose, for whatever reason.

Reflecting on the meaning and purpose of a holiday can help each of us try to puzzle through and attempt to make our experiences even better for ourselves and those we love.

Creating some notion of personal relevance around the special days that you or your family choose to observe gives insights into the attitudes, values, and beliefs that are most important and, for children especially, offers wonderful teachable moments of sharing, caring, respecting, and honoring others in our families and communities, both past and present.

Get Inspired by Old Traditions or Create New Ones

Large family and community celebrations have long served the purpose of addressing specific social needs or duties, often providing entertainment and creating good will. Membership in larger groups creates a sense of belonging based on cultural, religious, social, or geographic ties. In the past these connections celebrated seasonal changes, marked aspects of the liturgical year, or commemorated events of cultural or historical significance.

Each special occasion provides a way to transmit specific traditions and customs, recount histories and accomplishments, share stories and wisdom, transfer knowledge to a younger generation, and encourage unity through marriage.

The ties we create between friends and family provide a sense of connection and contribution. From holiday gatherings to wedding celebrations, from sharing a simple family meal or sumptuous Thanksgiving feast to birthday parties, religious ceremonies, and seasonal activities, each experience helps establish strong and meaningful bonds.

Among friends and within families, the concept of tradition and ritual can expand beyond the idea of tangible gifts. Incorporating the notion of gifts within communal or family-based rituals and traditions can focus the emphasis of a holiday or event on meaningful relationships, shared experiences, participation, and contribution.

For example, invite extended family, friends, or neighbors for a shared experience or meal without the expectation of a gift exchange. Time spent together, contributing to a meal, engaging in helpful tasks, sharing special talents, and so forth can become gifts of themselves. Sometimes, just sharing our presence and positive attitude is all that is desired and most appreciated.

More formal and tangible gifts, however, often are associated with specific holidays and events. As you consider the special qualities of the occasion, whether for a holiday or special life event, be sure to see what memories, customs, or traditions might have the makings for a specifically meaningful gift for the intended recipient. Exploring the possibilities can take lots of time and reflection, but, in the end, results in meaningful experiences for all involved.