A Brief History of Great Gifts.
The holiday season is here once again, and we all know that finding the right gift for that special person in your life can be so much more stressful than it should be. You want to buy just the right gift. Something memorable, and something that will make their face light up the moment they see it.
Gift-giving can be so all-consuming that there have been studies dedicated just to the psychology of gift giving and gift receiving. Over the centuries, many have tried to give the ultimate gift of excellence, but science says bigger is not always better and the most expensive will not always dazzle. Let’s look at the psychology of giving excellence and how DLX fits in.
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The psychology of gift giving
The first question we are going to ask is: What makes a truly unique and special gift? Well, the simplest answer is: something that the other person really wants. If your next question is: how do I know what they really want? The answer to that question is: ask them.
There seems to be a stigma about just asking the person what they want. However, it also seems that people who are asked what they want are happier when they get the gift. Here are a few other things to consider when buying the perfect gift:
- Don’t worry about price. This does not mean you shouldn’t buy that expensive gift for that special person, but it is not always price that delights the gift-receiver. It’s about what they want and, often, the price of the gift does not come into play when they list the things they liked about the gift.
- Make it something that has a long-term, lasting impact. It’s true that most people who spend hours and hours trying to find just the right gift are looking for that immediate impact when the person opens the box. They want surprise, delight, smiles and excitement. However, how people react to gifts when they open them is not equal to their overall enjoyment of the gift. It turns out, the gifts people tend to remember the most, and cite as their favorites, are the ones that have a long-term, lasting impact on them. The gift treasured for years is better than the gift with an instant impact, which quickly fades and ends up at the back of the closet.
- A gift should be useful. A key factor in whether or not a gift is treasured, it turns out, is its usefulness. Exotic gifts dazzle right out of the box and make everyone “oooh and ahh” when the ribbons and wrapping paper are removed, but does the gift have any practical use day to day. If not, they may not remember it as much as the gift they pick up or use every single day. Usefulness is a very high indicator of gift excellence.
The biggest gifts ever given throughout history
Despite the ideas of practical and useful, people still love giving extravagant, expensive gifts. Given that, let’s take a quick stroll through history and some of the most expensive and outlandish gifts ever given, whether they be country to country or person to person.
- The Statue of Liberty.
One of the most famous gifts given from one country to another. Ms. Liberty was a gift from the country of France to the Unites States. Construction started in 1875 and was completed in 1886 when it was finally opened to the public. In today’s dollars, this statue could cost $5 million to build, but its overall value as an inspiration to freedom and liberty makes the actual cost incalculable.
- The Taj Mahal
Talk about the ultimate gift of love! This gorgeous building was a gift from Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan for his consort Mumtaz Mahal. What is it? Well, it’s a tomb for the emperor’s favorite wife and it is also his ultimate resting place. The Taj Mahal was commissioned in 1632, with construction completed in 1653. The cost of building something like this today? Oh, just around $827 million.
- The Jewel in the Crown
Also known as the Koh-I-Noor, this is one of the world’s largest cut diamonds, and it has held on to the record for a long time. This is no mere bauble, and the diamond weighs roughly 105.6 carats. This diamond was likely mined in Indian and was given by the Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, Duleep Singh to Queen Victoria to celebrate the signing of a treaty. The diamond is worth an estimated $485 million and sits in the front of a crown. Like any good valuable jewel, there is also a supposed curse attached that says any man who wears this diamond will experience bad luck, so only women in the royal family wear it.
- Elizabeth Taylor’s Diamond
It may be hard to imagine today, but there was a time the romance between actors Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor was one of the hottest topics in the entire world. The two kinetic forces were a hurricane of fighting and making up, and constant problems. However, no one could deny Burton would do just about anything to please Taylor and that included buying her a 68-carat diamond worth about $6.6 million. Burton managed to get this jewel despite initially losing at auction, from the winner, as a gift for Elizabeth Taylor’s 40th birthday. It was so huge Taylor couldn’t wear it as a ring and had a necklace made for it.
- The 19th Floor Apartment at Burj Khalifa
If the name Burj Khalifa does not instantly ring a bell for you, it is the world’s tallest building and is in Dubia. There are apartments of varying size inside, but it is one of the most expensive and exclusive residences anywhere in the world. This is why it was so shocking with businessman Raj Kundra gifted his wife with the entire 19th floor. The exact amount is not known, but the average cost of an apartment in the building I $1,400 per square feet.
Gifting comfort and luxury is a DLX Specialty
You may already have an idea where we are going with this. DLX chairs are a terrific blend of practicality, luxury, and excellence. In fact, when you look at the chairs we build, and consider them as a gift, they tick some of the key boxes above. For example:
- We design our chairs for comfort and daily use. This makes them practical and beneficial to the person using them. Our chairs are something the executive in your life will use very day.
- Our chairs last a long time. Since we use top quality materials to build our chairs, customized for your needs, they will last a long time, creating a gift that has a lasting impact.
DLX chairs go beyond just creating that gift which will knock their socks off when they receive it, although we happen to think our chairs look so beautiful, that will happen, too. When the businessperson in your life adjusts their chair with one of the many adjustments, we build into each chair, only then will they really discover the unique benefits of our chairs.
Giving a gift of excellence does not need to be stressful
We make giving a gift that will last for years and never stop delighting the person who receives it as easy as contacting us to discuss the products we offer. Our experts can determine which chair is right for your needs. If you’re interested in learning more, visit our site for details and contact us today.