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The Impersonal Gift Card – How to Make Gift Cards More Thoughtful

December 13, 2024 by Tracey Besemer Leave a Comment

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A display of gift cards in a store

During the holidays, there’s a lot of pressure to choose thoughtful gifts. A thoughtful gift shows that you know the intended recipient well enough to choose something they will enjoy or find useful. It shows that, well, you put some thought into it.

Enter the gift card. The opposite of a thoughtful gift.

Or at least, that’s the reputation gift cards have acquired. They’re often perceived as being last-minute or impersonal, an afterthought.

But they don’t have to be.

With a little extra effort, a gift card can be one of the most thoughtful and personal gift options out there. You just have to know a couple of tricks. (And no, putting it in a fancy gift card holder isn’t one of them.)

One problem with gift cards is that we usually turn to them when we’ve run out of time or ideas.

When you don’t know what to get that one person on your gift list, there comes a point where you give in and, with an audible sigh, concede, “I guess we can get them a gift card.”

And there’s nothing wrong with that. Truly.

It’s the holidays. All of us have only so much time and energy to spend. But there’s no reason why that time-saving gift card still can’t be meaningful.

The other problem with gift cards is that they aren’t all that satisfactory to unwrap.

You tuck it into a card, or it comes with a little envelope, and that’s it. When it’s time to exchange gifts, the person with the gift card can feel left out while others around them are tearing gift wrap off of presents that are a bit more tangible.

In that way, gift cards can be a bit isolating, which goes against what many of us are trying to achieve during the holidays.

It only takes a little extra effort to make gift cards extra special. Here are my favorite ways of giving them.

Wall of gift cards in a store

Give a Gift Card And…

Give something a little extra to go along with the gift card. It gives the intended receiver something to actually unwrap. They get to enjoy something small in the moment and have the prospect of using the gift card in the future. Perfect!

Skip the weird packaging.

Gift card tins/boxes/stuffed animals that hold a gift card are dumb.

They’re a waste and a burden to the person you’re giving them to. What are they supposed to do with it once they’ve used the gift card? (Hint. You can find a lot of these items at Goodwill.)

Instead, purchase something that ties in with the gift card and wrap them up together.

  • Buying a gift card to a local bookstore? Add a canvas tote and a couple of bookmarks. Bonus points if the tote is from the bookstore.
  • A gift card to a local brewery? Get them a growler or a pack of beer from the brewery to enjoy before their visit.
  • For the crafter, a gift card to a local craft store goes well with a small and simple craft or a basic supply item, like a sketchbook or a couple of paintbrushes.
  • Along with that gift card to the golf course, include a box of your golfer’s favorite balls.
  • Giving the young video gamer a gift card for a digital game? Accompany it with a basket full of their favorite gaming snacks. (My boys received this gift from a thoughtful friend one year, and they were ecstatic!)
  • My daughter and her husband like to go camping several weekends every summer. So, one year, I bought them each a gift card for their state park service so they could go camping anywhere in the state. I bought them both insulated camping mugs in their favorite colors and a gift card in each of the mugs.

I’m sure by now you get the idea.

Granted, this isn’t always easy or possible for every gift card. It’s a bit harder to come up with something to go along with gift cards to restaurants, for example. But for the most part, you can usually come up with something small to go with the card that will make it a more fun and personal gift and allow the fun of unwrapping a present.

You’re looking at the most commonly gifted gift card in the United States.

Use Gift Cards for “a Little Something Else”

Have you ever found the perfect little something for a friend and family member, but you wanted to get them something else to go along with it? This is where gift cards can really save the day. They don’t have to be the main gift.

They’re a great way to help your perfect small gift have a bigger impact.

This is basically the previous idea, in reverse. Come up with a gift card to tie in with your main gift.  

  • Giving a cookbook to your favorite foodie? Get them a gift card for $20 or $30 to their local grocery store so they can buy the ingredients for one of the recipes in the book. This way, the focus remains on the cookbook.
  • Buying someone a lovely set of rocks glasses? Tuck in a gift card to a local distillery or spirits store so they can pick out something to sip in their new glasses.
  • Are you getting a new board game for someone? Include a gift card to a nearby takeout or pizza place so they can order a meal to enjoy while they play.
  • Doing a movie night basket for someone with a blanket, popcorn and movie treats? Don’t forget a $10 Amazon gift card so they can rent a movie or two.

Again, you get the idea here. You’re adding a complimentary gift card that won’t take away from the focus of your main gift but makes the whole thing a little extra special.  

It Really Is the Thought That Counts

Gift cards can definitely make the holidays a bit less stressful. And they’re wonderful options if you’ve got family that’s flying and they can’t take bulky gifts home on the plane.

It doesn’t take much to take what can sometimes feel like a cop-out and turn it into a personal and incredibly thoughtful gift this holiday season. But remember, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with just a plain and simple gift card all on its own.

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Filed Under: Shopping

About Tracey Besemer

Tracey is the main contributor and editor in chief of popular gardening website, Rural Sprout. But once that last tomato of the season is picked, she switches to full-on Christmas Nut. Before you can say, “It’s not even Thanksgiving yet!” you’ll find her pulling her Christmas decorations out of the attic. Lover of all things Christmas, a few of her favorites are collecting mid-century Christmas decorations, choosing massive Christmas trees that are too big for her house and wassailing with friends.

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