Your Gift-Giving Strategy

Gifts
( Photo by Jennifer C. via Flickr Creative Commons )

Title: Your Gift-Giving Strategy

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Brian: I'm Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We're going to end today on the question: do you have a gift-giving strategy for the holidays or a gift-giving philosophy for the holidays? 212-433-WNYC. Do you have either of those? Do you have a general gift-giving strategy when it comes to this holiday season? Do you have a general gift-giving philosophy? Share your strategies. Share your philosophies. 212-433-WNYC. Maybe it'll help some other listeners who are scratching their heads, thinking, "What should I get this person? What should I get that person? There are so many people I want to give some gifts to, but how do I go about figuring out the right one for each person?"

Maybe you have a gift-giving strategy to share or a gift-giving philosophy to share. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692, you can call, or you can text. Do you keep it simple, for example, with handmade or consumable gifts? Do you follow a set of rules like want, need, wear, read? That's a method that's been quoted, "self-explanatory," right? Everybody gets something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Do you cap every gift at a certain dollar amount? Maybe you only buy local or buy secondhand or buy experience-based gifts. Maybe you give everyone the same signature item each year. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

Your gift-giving strategies, or if you have a philosophy, your gift-giving philosophies for this time of year. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. There's a whole genre of people thinking this through in public right now. The Strategist, New York Magazine, has a How I Gift series where they ask notable people about their philosophy. The writer Susan Orlean says, "Give the very best thing you could think of and then don't overthink it. You can't control how your gift will be received. The best gift under $25," according to Susan Orlean, always flowers. I used to say books, but many are now a bit over $25." Interesting, so appropriate for the author of The Orchid Thief, right? Flowers.

Knick's guard, Josh Hart, says he tries to "find things they're going to use on an everyday basis," and that you can never go wrong with wine. Actor Ana Gasteyer says her favorite gifts are things that solve a problem or that they didn't know they need, but that are also delightful. Tell us, what's your gift-giving philosophy or strategy? Are you Ana Gasteyer? Are you Josh Hart? Are you a Susan Orlean? What's your own, your gift-giving philosophy or your gift-giving strategy?

What actually works for you? What might other people out there listening right now, scratching their heads, maybe in search of a philosophy that they didn't know they needed, can learn from you? For that matter, what have you learned to avoid? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. We'll take your gift-giving strategy and philosophy calls and texts right after this.

Brian: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now to your holiday gift-giving strategies or philosophies, and Allie in Harlem, you're on WNYC. Hey, Allie.

Allie: Hi, Brian.

Brian: What you got?

Allie: I spend all year long looking for holiday gifts. There's nothing I hate more than being broke in December. As I see things, I kind of pick them out, but I'm always listening to people and what they like. I have a Russian friend who's trying to learn English. He loves silly movies. I got him a 20th anniversary edition of Twilight to gift to him for Christmas, with a bunch of friends and bands that love live music. I got them some loose earplugs. I keep an eye out all year long, making sure that whatever it is that people love, that's what they're getting. I have another friend, I'm getting them a Mamdani prayer candle, because what else for NYC?

Brian: Allie, thank you very much. That might be the best advice of all, right off the bat, right? Think about your peeps throughout the year, and you won't have to panic in December when the right things seem to come along. Larry in Brooklyn Heights, you're on WNYC. Hi, Larry.

Larry: Hey, hi. I told your screener, look, I have a big family and a wide circle of friends and a job that doesn't pay a ton of money. I just try to buy gifts, like your previous, Allie, I like her. I think about this all year long, and I just try to get gifts that are maybe geared to their personality, but they'll get a laugh at them. That's my thing. She mentioned candles. I have a friend who started her own law practice, so I went to a botanica, no disrespect to Santeria people at all, and got candles there, get a client or win court cases, stuff like that. That's how I manage that with a limited budget and a lot of people, and I hope it makes them, for five minutes, they get a laugh out of it, and they're happy with it. That's my approach.

Brian: Gifts that make them laugh. Larry, thank you very much. DJ in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, DJ.

DJ: Hi, Brian. Long time, first time. I'm going to build on the all-year theme, which I've adopted. I started giving books for Christmas when I was an undergraduate in college. The first year, I gave my father the Power Broke, and then I felt silly because I thought he'll never read that. Three months later, he came back to me and told me that was the best book he ever read. Then I got hooked on the idea of giving books. With the libraries under so much stress this year, I've changed my strategy.

I'm offering all my brothers, my only sister, and their kids books that my spouse and I picked out for them as we do every year, going through the daily email from New York Public Library, Book of the Day, NPR, The New York Times book lists. Then they will have a chance to either accept that book, which I'll donate to the library of their choice in their name, or they can choose another book to donate to the library. I'm trying to encourage them to have a relationship with the library because God knows they need support. We have a First Amendment culture team rally at Federal Hall on December 15th, and so I'm looking forward to supporting the libraries and what they do every day.

Brian: Thank you, DJ. Thank you very much. Another book one in a text, listener writes, "I give books to people under the age of 18." Kim in Kew Gardens, you're on WNYC. Hi, Kim.

Kim: Hi. How are you? I try to give gifts that help me communicate that I see people as who they are, that I've listened to things that they have said, that they may have not been prominent in the conversation, but just gifts that help people feel seen. Somebody might mention something that they missed from their childhood, or it may be something very simple that I know that they won't buy for themselves, but that's my goal: to surprise them a little and help them feel seen.

Brian: Nice. Thank you very much. Listener writes, "If you're getting together as a group for the holidays, Secret Santas are awesome. This way, you can really focus on the right gift for just one person." Another person writes, "Hanukkah gelt, always appreciated. Just give money. Some people are happy with that." Another one writes, "No tangible gifts this year promotes consumerism and high carbon footprint, a few handmade or homemade home-baked gifts." Chris in Little Neck, you're on WNYC. Hi, Chris.

Chris: Hey, Brian, how are you doing today?

Brian: Good. You got a seasonal standard, huh?

Chris: Yes. Usually, to my friends and family, I give out something called the snow gel. What it is is a foam brush that clears the snow off your car. It's the gift nobody knows they need till it snows. Then after it snows-

Brian: Everybody is happy to have it.

Chris: -I get a lot of thank yous.

[laughter]

Chris: Yes, they love it.

Brian: Thank you very much. I remember when it used to snow around here. Anyway, thank you very much. All right. One more who gives the same thing to everybody. Ben in Brooklyn, you're on WNYC. Hi, Ben.

Ben: Hey, Brian, happy to have the last word here. A giant gourmet pepper grinder, like the kind that you see in restaurants, makes for a great gift. A little bit of a novelty and gag factor has never failed to disappoint, and your recipient will think about you every time they use it.

Brian: Thank you, Ben. Thanks to all of you for your holiday gift-giving strategies and philosophies. That's The Brian Lehrer Show for today, produced by Mary Croke, Lisa Allison, Amina Srna, Carl Boisrond, and Esperanza Rosenbaum. Zach Gottehrer-Cohen produces our daily politics podcast. Megan Ryan is the head of live radio, and we had Amber Bruce at the audio controls. Stay tuned for Alison.

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