Gifts

[The Reaper]

This past July was a very busy birthday season for me personally, because there were many birthdays of my good friends, and some of my cousins.
As usual, the question of, "What should I give him/her?" always comes first, and the end result is pretty much the same.

Unless I know exactly what a guy wants, options are always the same: money, or nice bottle of cognac, or a cologne. Which I think is boring - and it is pretty much the same routine every year.

Same goes for women: flowers, perfume, jewelry, and some other similar things. Unless you're involved with a woman, choices are still narrow...

As you can imagine, asking the question of what they want, brings the same response - awkward situation overall. I love giving presents, and knowing that it's something they'd really like, makes it even better... So...

TOPIC: What other gift ideas (unique, original) would you guys/gals recommend? What should you avoid when choosing a present? What were some of the more unique and memorable gifts you've ever received?

[eBouncer]

What is your budget ?

[Tokugawa]

What is your budget ?

I guess this is not much about budget (I don't mean buy a yacht :) ).

For example for about 120-130$ you can organize a night cruise in Tokyo Bay with beautiful dinner for a couple. Or book, I like giving books if I know my friend likes reading. Arrange Sevara Nazarkhan for the BD or wedding of your close friend. Cook on your own something special & delicious - this is very much appreciated in developed megapolises especially among busy career men/women. I recently saw pair of Swarowski glasses - just beautiful.

From what I actually received (I don't stick to brands) I liked Fendi watch and Coach wallet.

[eBouncer]

Yeah, but the problem is that a requester is stating that he has many birthdays of my good friends , thus there is an associated cost per gift. The same Swarovski glasses you've mentioned may cost somewhere from $375 to $500 and up. Giving someone a book ($$) and arranging Sevara Nazarkhan ($$$$) for a birthday do carry a different price tag, right ? Unless, for sure he has an open budget, of course.

[Tokugawa]

If the question "what were the best 3 gifts you ever got?" would help, please answer it. Only top 3. The gift could be expensive, but please let's avoid "kto kogo pereplyunet".

[Shambles]

Once upon a time, a friend of mine was celebrating his birthday. So he invited for the B-day party many people. And I saw over there the best gift of all times: one Finnish girl presented him a pack of sugar candies (the pack was open and a half of sugar candies was gone). She gave the gift to him officially in front of everyone with the following words: "Happy B-day! Here's your gift. Sorry, these candies were so tempting that I couldnt control myself"...:D

[SmIlIk]

You should try to be more attentive around your friends. Note what they like and what they want to have. For us it is rule of the thumb, to get something they ask us to get :). For some it may sound funny or wierd but for us it is not time consuming and pleasing at the same time. We have one major budget and everyone (friends) pitches in so that we could get one but valuble item.

If I want to make a present of my own I try to match her/his style and just in case get a gift receipt.

[melo]

You should try to be more attentive around your friends. Note what they like and what they want to have. For us it is rule of the thumb, to get something they ask us to get :). For some it may sound funny or wierd but for us it is time consuming and pleasing at the same time. We have one major budget and everyone (friends) pitches in so that we could get one but valuble item.

If I want to make a present of my own I try to match her/his style and just in case get a gift receipt.

The Reaper is a guy. :P Let's be realistic here. Maybe he can ask a girl to be more attentive to those things and then he can ask her about it later when it is birthday time. :lol:

[SmIlIk]

The Reaper is a guy. :P Let's be realistic here. Maybe he can ask a girl to be more attentive to those things and then he can ask her about it later when it is birthday time. :lol:

Who said guys cannot be attentive? Plus advice is for everyone not just for TR.

[melo]

Who said guys cannot be attentive?

Me and every guy I ever knew or heard about. :lol:

[SmIlIk]

Me and every guy I ever knew or heard about. :lol:

Well you heard wrong.

[melo]

I disagree with you... Guys can be attentive as well... I have plenty of guy friends who are amazing at giving gifts. Being thoughtful has nothing to do with gender...

Okay, I wasn't talking about gay guys. Sorry I did not make that distinction earlier. :lool:

[SmIlIk]

Okay, I wasn't talking about gay guys. Sorry I did not make that distinction earlier. :lool:

melo, don't trash this thread please. Tovba, prichem tut gay guys!?

[melo]

OK on topic - I prefer that other people don't get me gifts. I would rather just go out to eat with them. So my close friends never get me anything and I never buy them anything. Even in our house we try not to buy things, but instead get things like a baloon ride or trip somewhere as a gift.

[The Reaper]

Yeah, but the problem is that a requester is stating that he has many birthdays of my good friends , thus there is an associated cost per gift. The same Swarovski glasses you've mentioned may cost somewhere from $375 to $500 and up. Giving someone a book ($$) and arranging Sevara Nazarkhan ($$$$) for a birthday do carry a different price tag, right ? Unless, for sure he has an open budget, of course.

I guess there is a slight misunderstanding. The purpose of this thread is discussion of birthday gifts in general.

Some people have already made some good suggestions, so maybe we could use them for future reference.

3 most memorable gifts:

1) My first computer that dad bought me in 1992. I had no idea what to do, how to even turn it on. Trial and error method is how I was introduced to computers.

2) When I was a kid, I was an avid photographer, so my mom went ahead and bought me a photo processing equipment, which I later placed in our basement, and used to print B&W photos. I even made money, out of it, and by the end of summer, all my money was stashed away in a tea pot. 10 Roubles was the most I made. :D

3) A very nice watch I received from my father-in-law after our engagement.

TR

[MUHLIS]

Tushunmadim (uzur endi biz inglizchani juda zo'r bilmaymizda),
Mavzuning maqsadi nima? Kim qanchalik qimmatbaho sovg'alar olganligi haqida maqtanishmi yoki kim uchun qanday sovg'a qadrli (va nima uchun)ligi haqidami?
Agar ikkinchisi bo'lsa:
Bizni oilada o'zi "sovg'a berish" odati yo'qku, lekigin Dadam kitob olib berib turishardi kichkinaligimda va o'sha kitoblardan eng sevimlisi "Bilmasvoy va uning ajoyiv va g'aroyib sarguzashtlari" (Nikolay Nosov asari Po'lat Mo'min tarjimasi) edi......juda ko'p marta o'qib chiqqanman...shu yoz ham o'qib chiqdim....har o'qiganimda ma'sum bolalik davrlarim yodimga tushadi. O'g'lim A....ga 1988 yil deb yozilgan....men uchun bundan ham qadrli sovg'a yo'q.....

[Maroon]

Tushunmadim (uzur endi biz inglizchani juda zo'r bilmaymizda),
Mavzuning maqsadi nima? Kim qanchalik qimmatbaho sovg'alar olganligi haqida maqtanishmi yoki kim uchun qanday sovg'a qadrli (va nima uchun)ligi haqidami?
Agar ikkinchisi bo'lsa:
Bizni oilada o'zi "sovg'a berish" odati yo'qku, lekigin Dadam kitob olib berib turishardi kichkinaligimda va o'sha kitoblardan eng sevimlisi "Bilmasvoy va uning ajoyiv va g'aroyib sarguzashtlari" (Nikolay Nosov asari Po'lat Mo'min tarjimasi) edi......juda ko'p marta o'qib chiqqanman...shu yoz ham o'qib chiqdim....har o'qiganimda ma'sum bolalik davrlarim yodimga tushadi. deb yozilgan....men uchun bundan ham qadrli sovg'a yo'q.....

The point of the thread is to recommend gift ideas, how to choose original gifts for friends and family and not about the price tag it has.

Also, I think it was suggested to mention gifts which are the most memorable or most valued gift you have.

I personally like getting books as presents and plants. Nice cups or any other nice dishes I also adore.

[SmIlIk]

Do you guys believe in superstitions while choosing a gift? I really wanted Henkles knife set for my birthday but apparently it is not good to give knives. Superstition under which "porugaemsya" :D Frankly, I don't buy the excuse.

[Maroon]

Do you guys believe in superstitions while chosing a gift? I really wanted Henkles knife set for my birthday but apparently it is not good to give knives. Superstition under which "porugaemsya" :D Frankly, I don't buy that.

Like do not buy shoes or watches for your spouse coz they might leave you?

Ooops....:lol:

Anyway, technically I buy it with his money so unless he don't run away from himself then I think it should be fine. LOL.

[SmIlIk]

Like do not buy shoes or watches for your spouse coz they might leave you?

Ooops....:lol:

Anyway, technically I buy it with his money so unless he don't run away from himself then I think it should be fine. LOL.

OH, my :) This past birthday I was asked what I liked and needed. I have everything I need but I really wanted set of knives (My favs) :(. My friends wouldn't buy them because of the superstition laying under it.

Couple of days later my hubbie bought those knives for me anyways but superstitions still make me wonder. Like not buying white roses or not buying perfume because it means she stinks :lol: , etc. I myself do not pay attention to them but since my friends think it is important, how to avoid being understood wrong!?

[Maroon]

OH, my :) This past birthday I was asked what I liked and needed. I have everything I need but I really wanted set of knives (My favs) :(. My friends wouldn't buy them because of the superstition laying under it.

Couple of days later my hubbie bought those knives for me anyways but superstitions still make me think. Like not buying white roses or not buying perfume because it means she stinks :lol: , etc.

I never heard about the perfume thing. LOOOOL. That is pathetic but really funny!!!

I want to get a knive set myself.

What is it with the white roses?

[SmIlIk]

I never heard about the perfume thing. LOOOOL. That is pathetic but really funny!!!

I want to get a knive set myself.

What is it with the white roses?

Ayrilik or something like that :lol: Odamlarga sovg'a olishga ham qo'rqib qolasan.

[Maroon]

Ayrilik or something like that :lol: Odamlarga sovg'a olishga ham qo'rqib qolasan.

Well, why not make up superstitions for every gift and there will one less worry in life. :lol:

But then again, it may benefit our budget but not our happy faces on birthdays and etc.

[Damsel]

Off-top suggestion: If you wanna buy knives Cutco is the best one to buy. They're not even sold in stores you have to call them up specially, they're not serrated like all of the other high-end brands are (which means they won't go dull as fast) and they have a forever (not a lifetime) guarantee, which means that we may die but our knives sure won't lol. Sorry I just felt like I needed to share that.

Back to gift-giving. This is a neat idea if you absolutely know that the person you're giving the gift to needs nothing in particular. They have everything or you just don't know them well enough to decide. There is a website called personalcreations.com. What you do is you send them a picture of the birthday girl/guy and they turn it into a huuuge (500 piece) jigsaw puzzle. It's also wrapped in a pretty gift-box and it's not even that expensive, only maybe about 30-40 bucks, but it truly has a sentimental value. I'd given it to one of my friends and he loved it to say the least. Hope you like the idea!

[MUHLIS]

I want a baby girl..... :)

[Пушкарева]

V kratce - podarok doljen bit neojidannim, nujnim i praktichnim.



My recent gift to a friend was goofy but was whole a lot of fun.... I got him a PSP that was wrapped in a box, that was in another box, and that box was in another box and so forth until the outside box was huge... And so he was trying to open it and took twenty minutes and people were laughing and it was fun. So I try to get simple gifts and make them entertaining. Also with my really close friends I do things like concert tickets - last one was my b-day and tickets were to Shakira concert and my friends took me out to dinner and a concert and it was great and fun... Or screening of a movie or play.... Another great thing is trying to find those weird things your friends want. Like one of my really good friends a huge and I mean huge Jennifer Beals. So I found an email address for her where you email and get her autographed picture and got her a L word DVD where Jennifer Beals is part of main cast and she loved it and thought it was amazing and something she wanted. So you can personalize them and make them fun....

[erkak#1]

V kratce - podarok doljen bit neojidannim, nujnim i praktichnim.

man silaga podarkamasman :lool: :lool: :lool:

[MUHLIS]

man silaga podarkamasman :lool: :lool: :lool:
yiqilib tushdim turg'izib qo'ying..... :lool: :lool: :lool:

[erkak#1]

yiqilib tushdim turg'izib qo'ying..... :lool: :lool: :lool:

MUHLIS aka, turomiydigan bo'b qopsiz :lool: :lool: :lool:

[MUHLIS]

MUHLIS aka, turomiydigan bo'b qopsiz :lool: :lool: :lool:
Turolmasak ham yonboshlab bir narnsa qilib keyboardga qo'l yetkazsak bo'ldi hech bo'lmasa orqezdan yozvoramiz..... :lool:

[Tokugawa]

Do you guys believe in superstitions while choosing a gift? I really wanted Henkles knife set for my birthday but apparently it is not good to give knives. Superstition under which "porugaemsya" :D Frankly, I don't buy the excuse.

I never believe in superstitions. Actually, if I ever meet (Hudo hohlasa) with our "Nemets" I was going to present him Japanese set of knives and Kyocera set of Ceramic knives. He would love it, I'm sure:).

[Nilufar]

Manimcha erkaklarga pichoq podarka qilishni hech yomon tomoni yo'q shekilli. Man daje galstuk sovg'a qilib bo'midiyam deb eshitgan edim.
O'zimizani praktikadan kelib chiqib etadigan bo'sam, tug'ilgan kunlada erkaklar osnovnoy pul yig'ib berishadi, o'tgan yili turmush o'rtog'imni bossini tug'ilgan kuniga masalan TISSOt soat podarka qilishgan edi. Mojno viski, portfel,portmone, prikolniye suveniri. Erkak kishiga sovg]a tanlash judayam qiyin, manimcha, kiyim obo'masa.
Ayollaga bo'sa eng oson uyda ishlatishiga kerak bo'ladigan narsalar olamiz har doim, yaqinda bittasiga mikser, ikkinchisiga tefal set, uchinchisiga pilesos oborudik. Prost Nezabudka etganlariday olinadigan sovg'a kerakli, esdan chiqmidigan bo'lish kerak. Va cho'ntegniyam inobatga olish kerak.:)
I glavnoye ne podarok a vnimaniye.

[Zagadochnaya]

OH, my :) This past birthday I was asked what I liked and needed. I have everything I need but I really wanted set of knives (My favs) :(. My friends wouldn't buy them because of the superstition laying under it.

Couple of days later my hubbie bought those knives for me anyways but superstitions still make me wonder. Like not buying white roses or not buying perfume because it means she stinks :lol: , etc. I myself do not pay attention to them but since my friends think it is important, how to avoid being understood wrong!?

Smilik, one of my cousins is very superstitious, so when her husband gave her knives as a gift for March 8th, she just gave him some money back for it (few cents). Amount doens't matter, what matters is the fact that she paid for them and now she is very happy :)
I suggest trying it, maybe it will make you feel better ;)

[Пушкарева]

Calling home this morning I got an order for a gift from my 5 y.o. very practical nephew. He got the phone and began with the usual "..A znaete cho, kupite .." before it was "mne", but this time "nam". He was thinking for few seconds what he really needs, whispered to people around "Cho nam nado, a?" and then got back saying: "Mashinu! Tolko nastoyashuyu". :)

I personally like getting gift cards too. Being a student, studying day and night, I had neither time nor extra budget to go out. So a person, almost a stranger - we never met, used to send me Fandago gift cards so that I go and watch movies with popcorns. The same person would send me Target gift cards for my b/d, when I moved in to a new place (bought home stuff, very practical) and Christmas.

So, gift cards are good too. Find out what the person needs, brands prefer and send the gift cards.

[Prince]

if you are in Tashkent i prefer (cash in USD) so he/she can buy anything she wants
If you are in Europe/USA you can send Visa Prepaid Gift Card as Nezabudka mentioned above,

Something very special and valuable for YOU might not be as valuable for others, so be carefull with gifts!

[Damsel]

I personally think gift cards are thoughtless, too obvious, and a last resort (i.e. when you go out to buy a gift for a party that'll take place half an hour later). I like to put love and thought into everything that I buy :love:

[Пушкарева]

Its a matter of preference then. I like getting cards and find them very thoughtful. The granter leaves me a chance to decide what I want and enables me with a certain balance to do so.

I personally think gift cards are thoughtless, too obvious, and a last resort (i.e. when you go out to buy a gift for a party that'll take place half an hour later). I like to put love and thought into everything that I buy :love:

[Пушкарева]

btw, there were other very nice gifts from good and attentive people:

- a person who realized my obsession with "Korolek ptichka pevchaya" and Turkish language, mailed me the book in Turkish delivered by a Turkish friend from Turkey :)

- a person who knew my childhood obsession with the book "Bez semyi", found the movie in Russian in Tashkent and passed through my family to be delivered here. :)

Both people - never met in person. Just online acquaintance. Thank you. These are the most remarkable gifts in my life, I swear ;)

[Prudence]

Its a matter of preference then. I like getting cards and find them very thoughtful. The granter leaves me a chance to decide what I want and enables me with a certain balance to do so.

With these cards, you never know how much is enough. One might think that he/she put enough money, where the receiver might think that it was too few :) (I mean giftcards for a certain amount of money, however the ones with a movie ticket or couple of hours at spa are pretty good ideas).

Same situation with cash.

[Prudence]

From the top of my head, in general, for men it is usually ties, shirts, expensive lighters (for those who smoke), brand pen, wallets. It might also be some car accessories, office stationary. And there is also whole bunch of tech stuff, for example headphones, mp3 player, usb pen, gaming keyboard and mouse, etc. etc. etc. :)

For women, tableware, silverware, lamps, teddy bears, wallets, scarfs and shawls.

But yes, the less you know a person, the more general is the present. And as for the parfume, colognes, deodorants, first, people might get it wrong, second, unless you know the person and his/her preferences, ypu run the risk of giving something, that will be redirected to someone else :)

[Пушкарева]

The last male gift I gave was that brand pen and three tiny collections of uzbek poetry from a bookstore that sells very old literature.

[SmIlIk]

I never believe in superstitions. Actually, if I ever meet (Hudo hohlasa) with our "Nemets" I was going to present him Japanese set of knives and Kyocera set of Ceramic knives. He would love it, I'm sure:).

Kyocera set of Ceramic knives'siz bizani uyga kirmaysiz!!!!! :evil: Ikki ko'ziz bilan yaxshilab o'qib oling!! Voydooooooooooooooooooooooot Kyocera knives hohlimaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

[Shambles]

Try something special for someone special...

[Legend]

Well, it all depends on whom you giving a gift. For the very close and true friends( there are only a few true friends) of mine I give really valuable gifts. But the best things for men I think are good watches, digital camera(if he doesn't have one) or a good cell phone, it all depends on your budget of course. My first laptop was a gift to me, for instance.
The latest gifts I gave were good watches,set of good cigars, and a set of all seasons I could get, "Friends" comedy :D.

[Tokugawa]

Kyocera set of Ceramic knives'siz bizani uyga kirmaysiz!!!!! :evil: Ikki ko'ziz bilan yaxshilab o'qib oling!! Voydooooooooooooooooooooooot Kyocera knives hohlimaaan!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(

Hahaha... :D
A bo'pti, adresni yuboruvring... "Na derevne babushke v Colorado" deb yuborsam boradimi? :D

[nemets]

I never believe in superstitions. Actually, if I ever meet (Hudo hohlasa) with our "Nemets" I was going to present him Japanese set of knives and Kyocera set of Ceramic knives. He would love it, I'm sure:).
Токугава-сан, я ценю твои благие намерения и с огромным удовольствием приму этот дорогой, нет,- скорее этот бесценный подарок с твоих рук. :) Но скажу честно, одного ножа мне тоже хватило бы украсить свои кулинарные будни.

Кстати, для мужчин, я говорю по своему опыту, хороший нож один из лучших подарков. Я никогда не верил в суеверия, но как дань традиции, я дал символически одноцентовую монетку за профессиональный нож Zwillinger, который мне подарила несколько лет назад супруга день рождения. Этот нож меня всегда можно сказать вдохновляет к готовке. Круче этого ножа может быть только кованный многослойный японский.

[Tokugawa]

Токугава-сан, я ценю твои благие намерения и с огромным удовольствием приму этот дорогой, нет,- скорее этот бесценный подарок с твоих рук. :) Но скажу честно, одного ножа мне тоже хватило бы украсить свои кулинарные будни.

Кстати, для мужчин, я говорю по своему опыту, хороший нож один из лучших подарков. Я никогда не верил в суеверия, но как дань традиции, я дал символически одноцентовую монетку за профессиональный нож Zwillinger, который мне подарила несколько лет назад супруга день рождения. Этот нож меня всегда можно сказать вдохновляет к готовке. Круче этого ножа может быть только кованный многослойный японский.

Вот видишь Немец, всё-таки "яхши ният - ярим давлат". Не успел я сказать про подарок тебе, мне тут же на работе предложили поехать в Германию (Дрюссельдорф) поучаствовать в проекте с Мизухо Банк (2-й по величине японский банк).

Вот 15 минут звонили оттуда, многое уточняли... Может Худо хохласа до конца года уже увидимся и ты получишь свои "ножи" :)

[Iqbol]

Do you guys believe in superstitions while choosing a gift? I really wanted Henkles knife set for my birthday but apparently it is not good to give knives. Superstition under which "porugaemsya" :D Frankly, I don't buy the excuse.

Once, I had given an uzbek knife to my professor. Then, he said that there was a superstition in France when receiving a knife: he gave me a 10 eurocents then.

You reminded me of those 10 cents: where are they?

[corsair]

diamonds are girls best friends... :-D

[dauphin]

diamonds are girls best friends... :-D

24841
That was on an ad.

[lilbit]

orujie - luchshiy podarok dlya mujchini! ;)

[PainKiller]

If that person is a good friend or just someone special for you, you can get a nice set of jewelry (I die for a pair of cute earings :) ), a giftcard to their favorite store (give me a giftcard to Bloomingdales, I'd be very happy to go shoe shopping). The most memorable present I got was a day at a very nice spa. I got treated like a princess, spent the whole day getting massages, got everything possible waxed, nails done, got a deep facial and hair cut and left the place absolutely adorable, and went out to have dinner the same night. I would love to get a ticket somewhere in Hawaii or somewhere exsotic for instanse. I haven't traveled for a very long time.
And, as always, it's more about how you present it. The pricetag matters less. A nice gentelman cooked for me not so long ago(well, it was not my birthday). But still, a lobster cooked by a handsome man, and candles. And the music was playing on the background. Stuff like this really touches sensitive me.:D