Are you the type of person who likes to be remembered for the great gifts you give during special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, or Christmas? This year could hold the one idea that’s never crossed your mind.
According to Fortune and Thrillist, the percentage of all Christmas gifts expected to be returned is about 34%. This includes gifts from relatives, friends, secret Santas, and the not-so-secret Santa.
The most-returned items:
- Clothing – Clothing may be returned for the real reason (they didn’t like the style), but they usually make some other excuse (wrong size or color, etc.) This also includes shoes.
- Kitchen appliances – These purchases are usually sale-driven and not necessarily what a person really needs. A Black Friday sale on refrigerators? That’s what we’ll get them (because the sale sparks an uncontrollable buying decision). Toasters are one of the most returned gifts (think weddings as well).
- Tech gifts – A parent’s guess usually misses the mark when it comes to electronics. Your idea of which video game or console to gift is usually just that, a well-intended guess. You’ll need to know if they live in the Playstation vs Xbox vs Nintendo camp, the Apple vs Google vs Android camp, and so forth. Not all smart watches work with all phones and operating systems. Good luck.
- Home decor – It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall watching someone’s honest reactions to opening home decor gifts. It can sometimes lead to a “discussion” amongst married recipients regarding the likelihood the decor will be displayed at all times vs. just when the parents visit. It may be best to avoid this type of gift as well.
- Tools – It may not seem so, but tools can be rather personal to someone. They can be as picky about tools as a 5-year-old is about vegetables. Choose the wrong ones, and they’re usually destined for a return.
Besides all that, how long of an impression do you want your gift to make? Will they have trouble in the future recalling what you gave them this year?
The life expectancy of certain gifts:
- Chocolates – Less than two days (especially if I’m nearby)
- Meat and cheese set – Gone by the end of the family gathering
- Sweaters – Unknown, but they are seasonal and are a personal fashion choice. They may just collect dust on a hanger if they “wouldn’t be caught dead” in that style of sweater.
Why not give a loved one something that lasts, something outside the box, and something they’ll appreciate more each year? One that seems to rejuvenate and bring back confidence and swagger? All from a single gift.
Here at Advanced Medical Hair Restoration, we’ve been told the gift most appreciated and remembered the longest is hair restoration for a good candidate. The life expectancy of a gift from Advanced Medical Hair Institute? It’s a permanent gift that will be remembered by the recipient for a very long time, so expect the thank-yous to be relentless.
Have you ever received a gift that you can look back on as monumental or one that immediately brings a smile to your face? Your loved one may be going through different physical and emotional stages during hair loss. It may have been a long time since they’ve wanted their picture taken or posted one on social media because they feel their looks have changed too much.
Hair loss can be difficult to accept, especially if there’s no guidance for dealing with it. Sometimes, we can wallow in a problem if no one else knows we’re suffering or struggling. It’s hard to ask for help, and it can also feel like an embarrassing issue, although it’s completely natural and happens to a large percentage of people, especially men.
Once the problem is known, it begins a journey of discovery and decisions. And then, hopefully, some action steps to follow a path of acceptance or a path of reinvention.
You could be the hero they weren’t expecting.
This Christmas, give the gift of confidence and a fresh beginning. The gift of peace of mind and a newfound self. Not another impersonal gift card or sweater.
