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It is Christmas time again which means hunting down gifts for those you think deserve one. Undoubtly some time in the next month you are going to see a news story or two commenting on the appropiateness of giving gift certificates. The majority of opinions I have read say that a gift certificate is not a very good gift. That it is an impersonal gift that says you don't care about the person your giving the gift certificate to.
Personally, I disagree. Depending the person and the circumstances gift certificates are very appropiate gifts. A gift certificate for some form of experience the person enjoys is a great gift. For instance I have friends who go to the movie theater regularly during the year. They have appreciated when I give them gift certificates for 4 or 5 movies. I appreciate when people give me a gift certificate to Blockbuster. I don't rent many movies but I do enjoy doing so for free (to me) when I do. Another good gift certificate is to restaurants. My wife and I enjoy going out regularly and spending $30 to $50 on a meal. A gift to some of our favorite restaurants gives us an opportunity to have a nice evening out without me worrying about the bill.
Another circumstance where a gift certificate is appropiate is where the person wants something that has a lot of options that you do not understand. For instance I am typically regarded as being very hard to buy for. This is because my hobbies are computers, digital photography, and among my circle I'm the only one who knows what I'm buying. Even if I tell people specifically what I want it can be very difficult for them to buy because they do not know where to look or how to get it. On top of that I may express that I want video card X but by the time Christmas rolls around maybe I want video card Y. It is easier and better for them to give me a gift certificate in the amount of the cost to a store where I can buy it with a card explaining the intended purpose. Actually in the sort of circumstance I'd prefer that they give me cash so that I can get the best deal for what I want.
Are gift certificates always an appropiate gift? No. If you are capable of buying a specific item you know they want then you should. If you know a person wants a specific movie dvd - it is lazy to get them a gift certificate to a movie store they could buy it at.
As I said before depending on the person and circumstance a gift certificate may be the best gift you can give. The important thing is that the giving of a gift certificate should be done with the same thoughtfulness and consideration as you might give to any other gift you would select
