8 things that do not make a gift "unique"

Gift giving is pretty slow in the summer months, unless you have a birthday to think about or an anniversary coming up most people don't have a reason to exchange gifts until fall/winter rolls around. That's not to say you shouldn't give somebody you care about a gift; random and unexpected gifts are really great. Christmas and birthdays are all fine and good but coming home to a nice wrapped box with a hand written note is 10X more special if there is no reason for it to be given.

I think I'll take this season to explain my methodology around finding and giving unique gifts. So to start off here are 8 things that do not necessarily make a gift unique:

8. Antique
Just because something is old does not mean that it is a unique gift. A truly unique gift is one that is functional and that the person receiving it will actually make use of. Antiques can be great unique gifts but you need to look past an items age and decide if it has value beyond being a few years older than most products.

7. From a different country
Your aunt picked up a bar of chocolate at a gift store when she was in Europe, sure you might not have had the brand/flavor before, but you've had chocolate. The fact that it came from a different country can make it nifty, but it doesn't make it unique.

6. Something you've never seen before
This one should be obvious. Just because you've never heard of something doesn't mean that the person you give the gift too hasn't. You might think that the push reel mower you found is the coolest thing you've ever seen, but you parents probably don't have fond memories of them.

5. Expensive
The uniqueness of a gift has nothing to do with its cost. A 52'' LCD Screent TV is nice, its expensive, but its still a TV and those haven't been unique since the 1950's

4. "Cutesy"
Making something "cute" is does not transform that into a unique gift. Its like companies putting "green paint" on their corporate image to make them seem more environmentally friendly. As an example, a pink colored set of pots and pans might be "cute" but they are still pots and pans and unless there is some revolutionary new design involved they are as unique as the ones your grandma used.

3. Gift Basket
Gift basket's are a tough one. There are multiple ways that you can make a gift basket unique. There are two ways that I know of, the first is to only include items in the gift basket that are themselves unique. The second way is to give a gift basket full of ordinary things for a unique purpose. The main example that comes to mind (at least I thought they were unique at the time)was when my mother would put together a basket for a family that had recently lost a loved one. She would include lots or ready to eat foods/snacks and instant drinks because when people going though those times often find it hard to sit down and eat a meal. I think I've seen this type of basket elsewhere but in my small town and at the time it was pretty unique.

2. Eco Friendly/Organic
I have nothing against eco friendly products, I quite enjoy them actually. I think recycled consumer goods and orgainc foods are perfectly lovely, I just don't think that they get a free pass on "Uniqueness". An organic fruit basket is still just a fruit basket (well, its alot more expensive but see #5). Recycled materials are great but if the products made from them are just standard then they probalby don't qualify as a unique gift. Upcycled has a better chance most of the time because of the creative process involved.

1. Monogrammed
This is a pet peeve of mine. Let me start with this, I have nothing against monogrammed gifts, but don't try to convice somebody that because you had their initals put on something that its "unique". A monogram tie is still a tie (which is never really a good gift :P ), a monogram flask is still a flask, and a monogram keychain is something you bought at the store when you ran out of all other ideas. If its not a uniqie gift before you put three letters on it, its not one after.