Gifting Etiquette: What Not To Gift

    • kumar.saurav2@timesgroup.com
    • Publish Date: May 28 2016 5:00PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Sep 26 2016 10:55AM
Gifting Etiquette: What Not To Gift

There are gifts that are thoughtful and then there are gifts that are only a burden... like the five things mentioned below. So avoid them while buying a gift for somebody.

  • Plants: Just because a plant doesn’t talk back, it doesn’t mean it is dead, and if you are not sure that the person you are gifting a sapling to will water it every day and take good care of it, what purpose does it serve? Save the plant and your friend from the pain of burdening each other’s lives.
  • Perfume: The only person who should ever decide on a new fragrance for you is you. Period. Different perfumes, body sprays, colognes or deodorants react differently on different types of skin, so, what smells like musk on your skin may smell like a dead rat on someone else’s skin!
  • Anything sacred: No matter how much we love our gods and swear by holy scriptures, when you gift someone an idol or holy book, you have to be sure that the receiver (and his family) is ready to bear the responsibility of keeping the gift with as much thought, sensitivity and care, as you had thought he would. 
  • Self-help Books: The simplest technique to ruin someone’s self-esteem is to gift them a self-help book. If you give a book on how to lose weight, it instantly points out that you think the person is fat, tips to save money will indicate that his or her finances are in shambles. The basic problem with selfhelp books is that they are very generic, just like a template, and have the same set of advice that your family and friends always emphasise upon. Buy a self-help book for yourself. As a gift, it’s rude to tell someone they need help unless you re a close friend and they’ve come to you for advice, says author Madhuri Banerjee.
  • Pets: When we read Gunjan’s post, we were not entirely convinced if it would make sense to weave a story around the worst gifting ideas, and include pets in it, but one fine morning, we read how singer Justin Bieber abandoned the American Bulldog he had bought for his family last Christmas and, we were convinced that it's better to not gift anything to anyone than to hand over a canine to someone who is not ready to take the responsibility. As rightly put by the trainer in question, Trevor Dvernichuk, in a media interview, “This is like taking your kid to school and not picking him/her back.”

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Comments

Tanya Singh BHAWAN VIDYALAYA CHD-SEC-27

And here I thought it was the thought behind the gift that counts. No such thing as worst gifts!

Mugdha Chatterjee Delhi Public School, Durgapur

I agree with Tanya.

Mansi Borade PADUA HIGH SCHOOL-MANKHURD

SO TRUE.............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vaishnavi S NAGARJUNA VIDYANIKETAN

These gifts are not always worst. It depends on the likings of the person. If a person is a nature lover, he/she would be so happy to receive a sapling as a gift. You should gift the person according to his/her likings.

Harini MS NAGARJUNA VIDYANIKETAN

Gifts need to be picked based on what the person will love.

Rajathariga S P AECS MAGNOLIA MARUTHI PUB SCH

Well guess its time to stop gifting perfumes to my friends.

Himanshi Dhawan Saffron Public School

It sounds really weird that one of my friends got a calculator on her birthday. How can people gift such inappropriate things to someone on birthdays? It''s not about the cost, but the gift you''re giving should express your feelings for the receiver so it should be an appropriate one.

Cynthia Mary Saji St. Joseph''s Convent Girls'' Senior Secondary Sch

Vaishnavi S NAGARJUNA VIDYANIKETAN simply agree to her !

Aman.kumar Sree Narayana Vidya Bhavan

good looking

R.Varsha Amalorpavam Higher Secondary School - Puducherry

INFORMATIVE...

Jessica Kabuli CARMEL CONVENT SCH SEC 9 CHD

I personally prefer cash over box gifts. It''s always better to gift someone money rather than buying them a gift. Thank you for the tips though.

Hemalatha.G Sethu Bhaskara Matriculation Higher Secondary Scho

I never got worst gifts... And never gave such.

Akshita Pandey LILAVATI BAI PODAR (A)-SCRUZ

You cannot call these gifts as worse as it depends upon the person''s liking and choice. If he or she is a fashion lover, we can gift them perfumes and if he or she is a nature lover, we can gift them plants. If he or she is a pet lover, we can gift them pets. I completely agree with Vaishnavi and Tanya.

Ronit.R National Hill View Public School

Great article

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