Besides my small business, I recently started working (part-time) outside the home. I don’t have to do this, but I do since it gives me a chance to interact with people in person.
I’m one of those folks that enjoy chatting with others, and my correspondence with clients via the computer isn’t enough. At the place I work we swap Christmas gifts. Admittedly I was a bit surprised when I learned about this process… I think it’s a bit of a stretch to think that everyone wants to participate, don’t you? I don’t mind giving gifts, but my issue has always been finding out what the person likes, and giving them something they enjoy. It’d be selfish of me to give them something that I like, and hope they like it too, you know?
Fortunately, for this Christmas swap, you also fill out a simple gift questionnaire about yourself… which definitely made the gift process a lot easier. The person’s name I drew was concise. He likes the colors grey, black, and silver. He loves video games, chocolate, and he listed a few other things also. I love games! First person shooters are my favorite, but I can totally get lost in a RPG (role playing game) too. Admittedly I haven’t done any gaming in about a month or so; Christmas time is busy time for myself with my business, and now I’ve added part-time work outside the home.
Since I wasn’t sure of the types of games he liked, I settled for some nice chocolate, a lovely stainless steel cup to carry around his preferred beverage, and an American Express gift card. This way, he can purchase whatever he wants.
Of course I wanted to knit him something! He’s a nice young man. But I never see him wearing a hat, scarf, or gloves and I didn’t want to invest a lot of time into something he might not wear. Yesterday, I settled on a ‘little something’ and knitted him a gift card-igan. I had some grey Paton’s Classic wool, so I used that, and I used a simple cable stitch design for the gift card holder. It took about an hour to knit. Since it was knit flat, the sides had to be sewed. I love sewing; aka seaming in crochet or knitting. Once complete, I made a simple loop, sewed on a button, and tucked the gift card inside.
I believe it’s ‘masculine’ enough for him not to think that it’s ‘too feminine’. When he opens his gift, I’ll mention that I wanted to make something else but I had no clue if he wears scarves, hats, or gloves. If he says he wears them, I’ll make him something bigger.
That’s a brilliant idea about the questionnaire! I think it’s otherwise impossible to pick Christmas gifts for people you don’t know well enough. It’s hard enough to get something for my sister’s boyfriend!!
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@Susanne, It helped out, that’s for sure. At least I was able to knit the gift card holder in a color he liked. He even asked if I’d made it,. I get the feeling he has some crafty folks in his family. He really liked the gift card container, and of course the actual gift card. 😉
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Q – Nice! Like the gift card holder. 😎
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