Gift Giving Etiquette in Other Countries

Gift giving can involve a certain etiquette, that if breached, can lead to embarrassment at the least, and potentially damaged relationships in more serious situations. Whether it’s part of a business trip and cultural exchange, or even visiting family or friends in another part of the world, there are certain gift giving rules and expectations that are culturally significant and must be observed.

Gift giving etiquette mainly centers around the following questions: Who is the recipient, what type of gift is expected, what is the process for giving the gift, and is there an expectation of reciprocity?

In Western cultures, the identity of the recipient is perhaps the single most important factor in gift giving. Specifically, the nature of the relationship between giver and receiver is key. The closer the relationship, the more personal the gift that is allowed. Closer relationships also allow for more informal gift giving occasions (not just on holidays or special days of celebration) as well as an increased expectation for both parties to reciprocate the gifts. Anyone who has ever experienced one of those awkward moments receiving a gift from an unexpected source knows exactly just how important the observance of these customs is. 

With more more international business bringing about cross-cultural relationships, it’s important to note that not all gift giving rules of etiquette are universal. Some are unique to their culture.

In China, for example, it’s quite common, even expected for the giver to ask the recipient what gift he or she would like to receive. In business relationships, gift giving is always reciprocal and a failure to observe this custom could destroy an otherwise prosperous relationship. The Chinese also are very generous with their gift giving. Someone who obviously has skimped on a gift becomes known as an “iron rooster.” As the concepts of balance and harmony are valued in Chinese culture, it’s customary to give gifts that come in pairs or sets rather than individual items.

In Saudi Arabia, gifts are only exchanged between individuals who are considered the most intimate of friends; therefore, a gift for a casual business acquaintance may appear too forward and damage the relationship. If buying for a Saudi man, never buy gold or silk. That is an inappropriate gift for a male in the culture. One other piece of advice, when giving a gift in Saudi Arabia, it is customary to offer it with the right hand. To do otherwise is considered offensive. 

Fortunately, Gifts that Give offers a variety of high quality, name brand gift items that will be acceptable in any culture (provided the aforementioned rules are followed). Not only will the recipient be honored by a present from Gifts that Give, but an additional honor is bestowed when Gifts that Give contributes 20% of the purchase price to a charity of your choice, because charitable gift giving is appropriate in any culture.

Related articles

• Finding Gift Ideas: The Psychology of Gift Giving (giftideasforcharity.wordpress.com)
• Charitable Giving and Tax Deductions (giftideasforcharity.wordpress.com)
• Gift Giving for a Reason (abastardsblog.wordpress.com)
• Gift Ideas for $50 or Less (giftideasforcharity.wordpress.com)
• The art of giving and receiving gifts in China (seeingredinchina.com)

xFinding Gift Ideas: Why Do We Give?


Finding creative gift ideas can be a real challenge. For many, the fact that Christmas has passed and another season of having to think of something to exchange with friends, loved ones, and co-workers is over is a welcome relief. If that’s you, enjoy your brief respite because Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and probably an assortment of birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries to boot, which means coming up with a whole year's worth of gift ideas.


Gift Giving and Gift Ideas Abound Around the World

Giving gifts is a cultural practice ingrained in all of us across cultural boundaries, rooted in centuries of custom and tradition. We would no sooner show up to certain celebratory events without a gift than we would sit down and eat soup with our hands. Such is the power of tradition. There are even special guide that tell us appropriate gift ideas for anywhere in the world.


No matter what culture you came from, gift giving is a time-honored tradition. Archaeologists have unearthed evidences from ancient cultures across the globe that show the practice of gift giving. Whether it was a token of respect being offered to some ancient monarch or a sacrificial offering put forth to some pagan deity, the offering of gifts has been a sign of respect for thousands of years.


Gift Giving and Gift Ideas Are Steeped In History
In our oldest literature, we see examples of gift giving. Of course, the Bible provides numerous examples from the temple sacrifices in Mosaic Law to the wise men bearing gifts at Jesus’ birth. In epic literature such as Beowulf and King Arthur, it was customary for the thanes and knights to bestow gifts of respect upon their monarchs. In return, after battles won, the monarchs would grant a portion of any captured treasure upon their loyal warriors. Because nothing says "thanks for wiping out our enemies" like a small pile of treasure and a silver gravy boat.


How those traditions morphed into "Secret Santa" gifts and the variety of gift giving opportunities we have today is a long process. To be sure, it's part of our DNA to be constantly thinking about gift ideas.


As the year goes on, and birthdays and celebratory occasions come along, don’t fret about finding new gift ideas. Just remember that to give a gift is an honor, an opportunity to take the time to show your respect to to someone you care about. Because of that, those old maxims "It’s better to give than to receive" and "it’s the though that counts" really hold true, which means you should try to find thoughtful gift ideas.
 

Don’t get discouraged. It may not be easy to come up with special gift ideas for your dear Great Aunt on her 75th birthday, but your offering, whatever it might be, is a valued treasure, a sign of your infinite respect and affection for that special person. 

Related articles

• Charitable Giving Through Gifts Supports Charity (giftideasforcharity.wordpress.com)
• Charitable Giving and Tax Deductions (giftideasforcharity.wordpress.com)
• The Psychology Behind Gift-Giving and Generosity (blogs.scientificamerican.com)
• What Gift Are You Giving? (the1stfollower.com)

Gifts that Give Back This Holiday Season

Gifts that Give back this holiday season will bring a new meaning to charitable giving.  Giftsthatgive.com donates 20% of your purchase to the charity of your choice.

The Facebook App - Shop for My Cause gives you the ability to raise money for your charity through sales of high end quality brands. This Facebook fundraising app is simple to use and $1 out of every $5 your friends spend goes to your charity!

Shop for the perfect gift with choices of quality brands such as Jay Strongwater, Lily Pullitzer, Toss Designs, Bungalow, Anna Weatherley, Vietri, Jellycat, Seda France, Lafco, ChicBuds, and many more high quality brands!

Register with GiftsthatGive.com in order to take advantage of VIP benefits, or check out as a guest. Either way, shopping with us at GiftsthatGive.com, you'll benefit great causes through your charitable giving.

Charitable Giving Gifts that Give Back 20% to Charity

Charitable giving that gives back 20% to charity?  Really?  How do they do it?


Gifts that Give, Inc. is unique.  In a nutshell, at www.giftsthatgive.com, the company runs a business that relies on its customers to tell their friends about Gifts that Give, and in exchange the comany donates the savings in advertising cost to the cause of the customer’s choice.  They make “passing the word” easy by providing tools on their website to let you tell your friends about this unique avenue to provide high quality gifts for charitable giving.


Choose a charity, purchase a product from companies, such as 

Jay Strongwater
Anna Weatherley
Kim Seybert
Vietri
Jonathan Adler
Lilly Pulitzer
Jellycat
Trumpette
Michael Aram
Simon Pearce

$1 out of every $5 goes to any cause of your choice.
It is that easy.  www.giftsthatgive.com

Gifts That Give Supports Different Organizations

Gifts that Give is an organization that allows shoppers not only to buy great, high quality gifts for their friends and loved ones, but also gives them the opportunity to select a charitable cause to support through their purchases. Gifts that Give donates one dollar for every five spent by the customer. That money can then be earmarked by the giver for one of many organizations associated with Gifts that Give.

And once you select the right gift idea for your family member, friend, or other loved one, you can share that with others as well. Right on our site, shoppers can link to Gifts that Give through their Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail accounts to help friends and family take advantage of this great opportunity.

Finding the right gift idea for that special person in your life doesn’t have to be a struggle. With Gifts that Give, you can touch their heart with a wonderful gift and also with the knowledge that the gift "paid it forward" to help someone else.

We offer 25 different categories totaling over one million causes to choose from. These range from legal defense funds, to social services, to medical/research based charities.

Are you in education or is it an issue near to your heart? Choose from over 10,000 different charities that help in this area. Some organizations might even be local to you as Gifts that Give enables charities from all across the country to participate. A simple search on the site will tell you whether your community has something available to support.

Have you lost a loved one to cancer? We sponsor over 900 different local and national cancer research charities. Or what about the arts? There are over 7000 different causes that help promote the arts in communities all across the United States.

Maybe you’d like to help a larger organization like the American Red Cross. You can do that too. You can donate to the national organization or one of the 17 different chapters from across the country registered with Gifts that Give.

Even animal lovers can donate to their favorite organization, as we offer over 1800 different opportunities to support causes as large as the Sierra Club or as small as your local animal shelter.

What’s really great about our program is that you can also share your passion with others. When you help a cause, you can post that information through Gifts that Give on your Facebook or Twitter page and tell others about the opportunity to support.

If you’re tired of the hyper-commercialization and materialism that has become associated with the holidays, Gifts that Give is the perfect solution. By purchasing your holiday gifts through our website, you refocus the holiday on the spirit of giving and helping others.

Gifts That Give to Charity

Buying gifts that give to charity is one way you can find special, meaningful gifts for the important people in your life, as well as give something extra to a charity of your choice at the same time. In this time of giving, it's possible to help those who need it most, just through the very act of holiday shopping.

Now that Thanksgiving is fast approaching, the beginning of the gift-giving holidays are following closely behind. But many people are becoming increasingly tired of the annual struggle to find meaningful, quality gifts for their friends and loved ones, and avoiding the crass commercialization that has come to mark what’s supposed to be a "season of giving."

That's why finding gifts that give can give us some extra special meaning this holiday, so that when we give high-quality special gifts to our friends and family, we also give something extra to people who truly need it. That's what it means to find gifts that give.

The organization, Gifts that Give, offers a wide variety of causes to support. Shoppers can choose which cause or charity they would like to have their money go toward — supporting legal causes, education, cancer research, wildlife conservation, education, and many more worthy charities — and then support those charities through their purchases.

For every five dollars spent by a shopper, Gifts that Give donates back one dollar to the cause of the shopper’s choice. So with a purchase of $500, a shopper would be donating $100 to a cause that helps others. Isn’t that what the spirit of the holidays is all about?

You can support a charity or cause that you feel strongly about, or you can support the favorite charity of your friend or loved one. Attach a special note and tell them they have supported their charity just by receiving their gift.

Gifts that Give also offers an assortment of high quality gift ideas. You can choose from over 100 different high-quality brand names, finding gifts normally only found in high-end catalogs or exclusive department stores. You can even get others involved in helping out. During the checkout process, Gifts that Give offers you the opportunity to link your Facebook or Twitter account to publicize the cause you’re supporting, and urging your friends to support them as well. By doing this, you could be raising thousands of dollars for a worthy charity, all with the click of a mouse and the purchase of a few gifts.

So if you’ve grown tired of the commercialization surrounding holiday gift giving, Gifts that Give is your answer. Give that special someone a high quality gift they will actually appreciate. And by using Gifts that Give, you can help someone else along the way as well. Because that is the true spirit of the holidays.