Giving from Knowing

One of the best ways to let your partner know how important they are to you is to give a gift or perform a service that reflects their specific wants and needs. That requires listening carefully and paying attention which is why the gift makes the recipient feel special.

Women, in general, tend to be better at this kind of gift-giving than men since women have been conditioned to be closely tuned into the needs of others. Men, stereotypically, have been the ones that rush out the day before a special occasion and ask a salesclerk for suggestions on what to get for their special person. These gifts often go over like lead balloons.

Meaningful gifts come from knowing someone. Giving candy to someone trying to lose weight or sexy lingerie to someone tired of being pressured for sex conveys a lack of knowledge and awareness of what is important to them. "It's the thought that counts" is a way overdone cliche, but it's often used to excuse a lack of thought. Ignorance of what someone would appreciate as a gift is no excuse at all when the someone is your lover.