As the holiday season approaches, stress levels rise while trying to decide what to buy for a significant other. Picking out a gift for a main squeeze can be nerve-wracking, whether you have been dating for a month or a year.
Zarana Bhagat, senior in LAS, can relate to the panic.
“It is hard picking out gifts sometimes,” Bhagat said. “You know them, but you are still unsure of what they would like and what they wouldn’t like. It is scary.”
It is important to first figure out what is too much or too little. It can make someone uncomfortable if the gift they receive is too serious for the relationship at the time. Rachel Williamson, sophomore in LAS, gave a cautionary tale.
During high school, Williamson received an extravagant gift from her former boyfriend of two months at the time.
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“He took me to a ridge with a river below that had a canoe in it with 100 candles that said ‘I love you,’” Williamson said. “He then went to a tree and grabbed a bucket out of it and my present was in it. He got me a necklace.”
Grand gestures like this can make people uncomfortable. Surprises can too.
Sometimes making a gift a surprise doesn’t go according to plan. This was the case for Anthony Garlisi, senior in Engineering, when he bought a pair of earrings for a previous girlfriend. He placed the earrings on a stuffed animal’s ears to present to his significant other.
“I gave her the stuffed animal and she was like ‘Oh this is it?’” Garlisi said. “She was on the verge of getting rid of the stuffed animal … She finally saw the earrings and her attitude changed 180.”
Garlisi learned the lesson that sometimes being straightforward is the best option. You know your girlfriend or boyfriend best, so if they like surprises, go for it. If not, steer clear.
Garlisi said planning ahead for a gift can help reduce nerves when at the store shopping for it. He recommended planning a month before.
“I have been dating my girlfriend for a year and a half and I’ve been looking into getting her a gift for the past two weeks,” Garlisi said.
Talking with your significant other about price limits on gifts can help with getting and receiving presents that fit the seriousness of the relationship.
“Setting up a price range is a good idea,” Garlisi said. “It might be a little awkward at first but it alleviates a lot of the nervousness.”
If all else fails, a well thought-out date is always a good alternative to a present.
Haley can be reached at [email protected].
