It strikes me as a bit ironic that I launched a business offering people ideas and options for buying gifts for themselves and others. Mostly because as I have aged, I have become somewhat cynical about gift giving. It seems to me that the obligatory gift giving holidays cause people panic attacks and spending funds that sometimes they don’t have.
Gift giving has become an exchange of gift cards, gift registers for weddings and babies and a
scorecard of you got me something, now what can I find for you since I wasn’t planning on getting
anything for you.
But the more I am in my workshop and the more gifts I make, I am finding joy in giving again and
actually am back on board with the thought that it is better to give than to receive.
I think the difference is that I am making gifts that remind me of others or that are personalized
for them. For example, my co-worker Dani had accepted a job with Notre Dame and left JA.
I made her a little decoration for her office that was a gnome with a gold and blue hat and on the
t-shirt it said “Notre Dame Alumni Association” and also had her name. Another co-worker left to
pursue her entrepreneurial interests in Religion so I made her a cross out of Purpleheart with a
Bible verse. I was excited to give each of those gifts. There can be high turnover where I’m at and
the pic attached to this blog was made for my friend Dawn, who truly was the computer guru.
Gift giving is hard. But I think I can help with that. At Gifts from the Bend, I am able to
help customers brainstorm about personalized gifts. Do you have an upcoming baby shower?
Let’s think about what theme the nursery has and make a wooden gift with the baby’s name or
words from a lullaby that the parents like.
I’m excited to be able to offer customized, personalized gifts for others to give. Hopefully we can
bring back the thought to gifts and not just exchange gift cards and registries. Visit
www.giftsfromthebend.com or @giftsfromthebend on facebook to view items for sale. If you have
questions or ideas about gifts please reach out to me at colleenhahn574@gmail.com or call
574-252-6056.
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts about gift giving, how it’s changed over time, if you have joy
in giving or if it has become a chore.
