I have sons... 4 of them. Sometimes they like to get my attention, they did so very well a few years back. One son was a reserve firefighter and he and two other siblings went to the Fireman's ball. They know that they should behave, whatever that might mean to each of us. For me, it meant to be respectful and kind to all, especially those in authority like the Captains or Chiefs. I received a text a few hours after they left that said,

"Mom, Cody, (the ff reserve) has been drinking a lot"

Can you imagine what I am thinking after a delay? This stopped me in my tracks!

"He is talking to the fire chief and you should see the fire chiefs face,"

"I so hope he has a job tomorrow."

I am at this point freaking out as a mom, what is he doing, what is happening, trust me, Sky got my attention. Then he sent a text with the picture of him drinking another drink. That 2-minute dialogue got my attention. It kept me on my toes waiting and it cut through the noise of my busy life at that time.

This is what you want to do with gifting. Gratefulness and thoughtfulness. Cut through the noise of constant flooding of emails, phone calls, and the stress most of us deal with daily. You want the receiver of the gift to stop and put down what he or she is doing and pay attention to what you have sent.

There are three ways you can do this;

Package it well~

You don't have to have extreme packaging or expensive packaging, but make it eye-catching, even if it is a tied ribbon. Let someone help you pick something thoughtful. Sometimes, we think about what we want or what we like including the promotional items if we are a large company. Those kinds of items have their place, but the promotional gift still talks about you, not the receiver. Think about your drawers, cupboards or trash cans that hold promotional items. You will never use them. So, why not go the extra mile and give something they would like or want? It could be a nice chocolate and a handwritten note.

Give a gift when it is unexpected~

Have you ever received a gift that was unexpected? I have and I will tell you every time it happens, I am blown away by the kindness and generosity of those gifts. Don't give gifts around the expected time such as Christmas, birthdays, or events. Consider gifting at other times like Thanksgiving, which is a much better time than other holidays, because it is an unusual time, it shows gratitude and pre-planning. When we wait until a holiday like Christmas, there is a pile of gifts that the receiver might have been given, you want to stand apart, be unique and remembered.

Help from NPC~

You can always have me come, visit you and help with your gifting. That is what we are here for, to create a gift that others will talk about, in a good way.

~Michelle