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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Gifts for Couples and Dinner for Two

The only time I buy gifts for couples is when I am attending a wedding. It makes it a lot easier when couples have a registry or if they are very specific about what they want for a gift - if you ask for money or you specify that you need some things for your kitchen or for your lounge, then it makes the buying of wedding gifts far easier.
Other situations where you would have to buy a gift for a couple would be on an anniversary, maybe a 20th or 50th wedding anniversary. I would think that by then they probably have everything they need and besides money, I think the best way to go (gift wise) would be to give them an experience of some sort – a dinner for two, a couples massage, tickets to a concert or the theatre or even a weekend away (if you can afford that sort of a gift).
I think it is not unheard of that by the time you have been married for 20 years you possibly have a bit of routine as to which restaurants you go to - where you always sit at the same table and possibly even order the same food and wine. Therefore, a voucher for dinner for two at a swanky restaurant may be just what you need.
A house-warming is another occasion where you might need to buy gifts for couples. Here the gifts can be just about anything. At first I thought, “What is the difference between this gift and the wedding gift?” But actually there is a huge difference. For a house-warming you can buy the couple anything from a door-stop to a tumble dryer or a shower mat to a foot stool. Plants are also great house-warming gifts, especially if you know that the couple is thinking of reproducing – I always think it is a rather good test of some sort – if the plant lives then, yay, you will be great parents – if the plant dies then maybe rethink the offspring idea.
This links me to the next occasion where you might buy a gift for a couple (assuming their plant is still alive) – the announcement of a baby. You can either go down the road of buying the expecting couple something for the baby or you can go down the road less traveled and buy something for the couple instead. I think you could have a lot of fun with this one, especially if you yourself is a parent because then you will know what they need and want (post birth of the human plant). Vouchers for home-cooked meals, babysits and massages will be greatly appreciated by the new parents. Personally, I appreciated these offerings far more that a bag of 100 nappies.
All in all, any gifts for couples need to be as personalised as possible. Whether it is an anniversary, a house-warming or a baby shower, you need to look at the kind of people they are as a couple and take into account what they might be going through. When it comes to gifts, I believe that extravagance is not always as effective as thoughtfulness.

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