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Why Bother Making a Special, Personal Gift?

Why Not Just Buy Something at the Store?

If you wanted to create a sweet moment for someone you love, you could send an electronic gift card. You could send a text filled with cute emojis. You could send a gift that you purchased on Amazon.

There’s nothing wrong with any of those options, of course. Texts can be great. Amazon is definitely very efficient. However, if you want to make an extra-special impact in your recipient’s day, I’d encourage you to send a gift that feels…different, something that’s creative, personalized, and made with love; in other words, the type of gift you’ll see inside this book!

Why bother giving this kind of gift? There are so many reasons:

• To have a deeper impact. A creative gift—like the ones in this book—can make your recipient feel seen, loved, understood, and appreciated.

• It’s just more enjoyable. These kinds of gifts are so much fun to make. You’ll love the creative process! Creating is much more enjoyable than schlepping around a shopping mall or exhausting yourself visiting online stores!

• Generate creative sparks. These kinds of gifts help you practice having fun and using your imagination in new ways.

• Create and nourish a real sense of connection. In our hyper-digital age, these kinds of gifts help people feel more human and less disconnected.

• Improve relationships. When you give these kinds of gifts, you’ll be seen as someone who is creative, generous, and thoughtful—someone who goes the extra mile.

• Produce less waste and clutter. These kinds of gifts often cause less clutter. (Marie Kondo will be proud!)

• Spend less money. In this book, you’ll find many creative gift ideas that cost very little, or practically nothing at all.

• Become a role model. If you give these kinds of gifts, you will inspire other people to give unconventional and fun gifts, too. You’re modeling joy!

“But I’m Just Not Very Creative or Artistic… And Besides, I Don’t Have Much Free Time.”

We’re just a few pages into this book, and you might already be having some doubts about all of this. Maybe you’re thinking, “All of this sounds great—in theory—but I’m not an artistic or crafty person. I probably can’t make any of the gifts in this book.” Or maybe you’re thinking, “I don’t have time for this sort of thing.” Or maybe there’s some other type of hesitation creeping into your mind.

This is completely normal. I often feel this way, too. Whenever I step outside of my typical routine and try something new, there’s always pushback from my Monkey Mind—or what my son calls “Squawky Polly.” Squawky Polly is the part of my brain that gets all ruffled up when I start to experiment, take risks, or step more fully into the life I want to lead.

Scientists call Squawky Polly the “Reptilian Brain.” It’s the portion of our brain that exists to protect us from all the dangers of the world. As human beings, since we no longer face daily threats from bears or saber-toothed tigers, our brain finds other things to warn us about: Don’t stand out or no one will like you. Don’t expose yourself by being too open. Don’t draw attention to yourself. Don’t risk it. Don’t be too loving, or people will think you are weird.

Making creative, loving gifts for people may not seem like something to be afraid of, but trust me…. your brain may try to stop you! Your job is to simply nod pleasantly in its direction, give a little wave, and continue on your path.

Here are three of ol’ Squawky Polly’s favorite excuses to stop you from actually putting this book into action:

“I don’t have time for this.”

Some of the gift ideas in this book will literally take you less than ten minutes to do. No kidding. I’ve intentionally included ideas that take little time but have a big impact. And even if you do choose a gift that takes an hour or two to create, you need to remember that the process of creating the gift is a gift to yourself.

Having the ability to use our imaginations and to create something out of nothing is one of the most exciting things about being a human. It is enlivening. It is fun. It will help you learn new things about who you are and how you are. You’ll begin to notice strange synchronicities, and ideas will pop in out of nowhere. Let me repeat: this is fun. You have time for this because you are someone who will dedicate time to it because you value relationships, including your relationship with yourself and your creative life.

“I’m not creative.”

Bah. Everyone is creative. It’s just who and how we are. We are wired to connect the dots around us, to be sparked by things we see or hear, to imagine new things, to create new things.

Every day, in a thousand ways, we are creating. It’s just that we may not always be conscious or intentional about it. When you think about what you want to have for dinner, and then you go get the ingredients and cook that dinner, you are creating. You might add in chili flakes or avocado because that sounds like it would be good. More creativity! You may be talking to a friend and suddenly get an idea about her soap business, and she’s ecstatic. Maybe when you’re dressing to go to the movie with your honey, you throw on that Italian scarf at the last minute, thinking it will add a little flair. These, my friend, are all creative moments.

There is no such thing as a person who is not creative.

“This feels too vulnerable.”

You may set aside the time and look forward to using your creativity. Then ol’ Squawky Polly whispers, “This feels too weird. Maybe it would be better to buy her a sweater.” Don’t believe it.

Yes, making a heartfelt gift might feel weird. That’s okay. There is nothing wrong with weird. Just think of it as your heart pushing up against a wall, trying to grow a little bigger. It might feel uncomfortable, like something is wrong. But if you breathe into it and remind yourself that what you are doing is expanding the container for love, that might help.

Also, it is important to remember that we are living in a society that sometimes values safety over everything else. What if you were the person who stepped out of that safety zone in order to live a life that feels more vital and Technicolor? What if you inspired others to do so by your own courage?

Believe me, this is worth the feeling of vulnerability.