For many Filipinos, gift-giving can be as simple as giving the smallest and cheapest item you can find in the market or department store. During Christmas season, “exchange-gifts” or monitohan are fun activities during Christmas parties.
But since most Filipinos are used to the adage “It’s the thought that counts”, the gift itself is the more important than the value of the gift being given.
But gift-giving is indeed something of a minefield for others. A cheap or impersonal gift can make the recipient feel less valued. This can also create an awkward and uncomfortable situation for both gift-giver and receiver.
This little model from Esquire magazine asks two questions to consider on gift-giving:
- How long have you known the person to whom you are giving the gift?
- How much money should you spend on the gift?
This diagram can be a good (but not an absolute) reference on which and how to give someone a gift.
Two Rules of Thumb
Taken from The Decision Book, we must remember these two rules of thumb in gift-giving
1. Being generous beats being miserly (don’t be misled by the sentence ‘That really wasn’t necessary”).
2. Buy something that you would be pleased to receive as a gift yourself.
But then again, if you have a limited budget don’t dare go the point of borrowing money just to please the person you are giving the gift to.
You can always follow these rules of thumb but the truth is, it’s still the thought that truly counts.
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