Most of us yearn for the sublime second stanza of John Lennon’s “So This is Christmas” when we prepare for the holidays, in that we merely hope to come together and have fun with “…the near and the dear ones, the old and the young”. Certainly, no one, after spending time and hard-earned money attempting to fulfill holiday wish lists, wants to see a “resting gift face” (RGF) shadow the brow of a loved one after they open a present. However, once American Thanksgiving passes, “Holiday 2016″ will be in full swing, and hence, there will be a countdown to that moment in households across North America.
Resting Gift Face = the awkward expression of the underwhelmed.
What we have discovered over the last year is that although our site and tools were built to help parents teach their kids to think before they buy, it turns out they can help anyone. One of the things they can help anyone avoid is not only gift waste but also “Resting Gift Face” (RGF), the awkward grimace that arises when one attempts to mask their disappointment at receiving a gift they are unlikely to use or appreciate. So, even if you have no interest in improving youth financial literacy, it turns out that encouraging people to “thoughtfully prefer” what they might like to receive can still be a smart thing to do.
While only a humorous description of the expression worn by the underwhelmed, RGF has been known to throw a wrench into many a holiday celebration – so if you can avoid it – why not?
When children big and small “thoughtfully prefer” holiday gifts by calculating the DIMS-DOES IT MAKE SENSE?® SCORE for wish-list entrants: they’ve only taken a few minutes to answer some simple questions, but answering those questions helps them understand the full value of what they are requesting and how much it will really be used and appreciated.
“Wants” might actually be “needs”!
A DIMS SCORE®, (a number from 1-10 which helps a young person understand if a possible purchase makes sense at a moment in time) can also telegraph if a request is more of a need or a want. DIMS SCOREs not only helps people thoughtfully prefer but also thoughtfully purchase gifts. For example, far-flung grandparents might perceive costly basketball shoes as a want, but when they learn that their granddaughter would wear the shoes to practices and games four times a week for six months of the year, they can begin to see that they are really more of a need and a much wiser use of holiday-gift-giving-dollars than a sweater that may never be worn!
Swap RGF for Grateful Happy Face (GHF)
This is why we like to say that calculating the DIMS – DOES IT MAKE SENSE?® SCORE not only helps everyone avoid disappointment, reduce waste, and save time and money, but can also replace RGF (resting gift face) with GHF (grateful happy face), the one that can’t help but beam out from receiving a much-hoped-for item, one that really will be used and appreciated.
The benefits of long-standing relationships.
Some of us are lucky. We’ve been married long enough to have developed an understanding with our spouses – one that lets us choose, wrap, and then unwrap in front of the children exactly what we will use and appreciate the most over the coming year. Some of us are lucky in that we know our grandchildren, nieces, and nephews so incredibly well we can easily choose gifts for them that aren’t destined to be transformed into a) stored value cards after being returned, b) re-gifts after spending the required holding period on a laundry room shelf; or c) donations to charities that would far rather receive option a) above.
Some of us are lucky in that we have the kind of relationship with extended family members that allows us to easily convene and crowd-source one larger, more meaningful gift when it generates an excellent DIMS SCORE® but costs too much for one person to buy. But not all of us are lucky, and for those of you who worry that you might have to either witness or fend off RGF, why not consider introducing Gifting Sense into your gift-giving traditions?
We buy gifts to make people feel cherished and known…
We want to make the people we care about feel known and cherished when we buy them a gift. So what could be more thoughtful than asking our loved ones for some guidance? It lets us get to know them even better, including their tastes, hobbies, and preferences. It prevents us from wasting time and money buying underappreciated items. It can ensure that no one will have to spend any time exchanging or returning gifts, and it can even smooth the way for the happiest of holidays yet, one completely free of RGF!
To learn how, click on the blue or green buttons below.
For Parents Prevent This Smart Gifting
