What's the best gift to give if you want to show your love?
By YourTango — Written on Feb 11, 2010
Gift giving: one of the most difficult parts of a relationship. How do you know what your sweetie will like? And even if you're pretty sure he or she will like it, will the gift show your love, or just your ability to swipe a credit card? We asked our YourTango Experts how to give a gift that really shows your love.
Listen. People want to feel listened to, heard, understood and unconditionally accepted. Provide that safe space for your partner, and it's worth infinitely more than any tangible gift. - Evan Marc Katz Communication is Key.... right?
Give something that demonstrates that you know them well. Pick up a special edition of his favorite book, send the type of flower that she carried at your wedding, have a favorite photo enlarged and framed, learn about football and then get tickets to the game. - Esther Boykin, LMFT
For men, it would be sex. For women, it would be a gift, a service or words of affirmation. - Melodie Tucker Sex and Spirit: An Illustrated Guide to Sacred Sexuality
For her birthday, I cut small slips of black paper, about the size of a fortune from a cookie, and used a silver pen to write 50 things I love about my partner. I put them in a beautiful photo box with a photo of us in the lid. It's one of her most prized possessions. (And every one is still true today, 12 years later!) - Betsy Nelson, LCSW
We often give gifts that we want. It is so much better to find something that you know your partner wants. The gift itself is much less important than the fact that that your choice reflects your knowledge of them. - Sally Connolly Relationship Checkup
The basic makeup of the human species is time and energy, nothing else. It is also the best gift we can bestow on others. This does not dismiss a pair of diamond earrings, since an expensive gift usually represents a lot of time and energy you spent away from the receiver that you will bestow on them. - Tom Myers
The best gift to give is one that fits the receiver while expressing the best intentions of the giver. This will be different for every pair. Often a person will (mistakenly) SHOW love in their language, as opposed to the one that the receiver understands. - Marsha Keller Which Love Language Do You Speak?