Today’s mini-episode topic is giving thoughtful gifts to friends. After discussing the topic of gifts for friends in my Facebook group–Dear Nina: The Group–I heard some great ideas and I wanted to share them with listeners.
There are some thoughtful, creative gifts in this quick 10-minute episode.
I also briefly discussed Anna Goldfarb’s recent Atlantic article, “Gift-Giving is About the Buyer, Not the Receiver.” Anna was a guest on episode 35 of Dear Nina.
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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.
Latest posts by Nina Badzin (see all)
- Dear Nina in The Guardian - May 1, 2024
- Overtalking, Undertalking, and Lessons for Friendships in the Art of Storytelling - April 30, 2024
- Dear Nina in The Wall Street Journal - April 27, 2024
- 5 Friendship Issues to Consider Addressing with a Therapist - April 17, 2024
2 Responses
One thing I do is create a list of fav things for my closest friends as well, this helps when gifting. I always make gifts personalized and memorable. My closest friend is such an amazing gift giver and this has helped me evolve. We tend to give each other random gifts almost every month. I may order from her fav restaurant and have it delivered as a surprise, or randomly call and stop by with her fav box of Japanese candy, which I may have discovered on the internet. In some cases, the gifts aren’t for her, but for her kids, or even her spouse. If your friend’s child loves tennis, maybe a practice indoor kit or something. It may be $20, but to both her and the kid, it’s worth so much! It’s not about the cost, but the intentionality. This has really helped our friendship grow and deepen.
I’ve also learned from a few of my own friends how to give more thoughtful gifts.