A TMOD theme titled “the art of gifting”

It was my wife’s 30th birthday, obviously a special one. And I had to gift her something equally special. There was just one problem though– I didn’t know what. It seemed she had everything that she could want and more. Now I agree some of you would object that no woman ever has sufficient clothes or shoes or bags. And I agree. My wife is forever short of them. But gifting any of those wouldn’t be special would it? Also in the more likely scenario of her not approving the style, color or size, exchanging it would be the only special thing we would do on her special birthday.

Finding the right gift has always been a challenge for me and most people I presume. I have spent countless hours searching for them in gifting websites and shops, only to come to a conclusion that they are just not the right places. It’s okay to browse them if you have to gift a co-worker or a casual friend but absolutely not okay for someone special. I also read a book called Giftology. If you are planning to, don’t. The only gifting idea I found in that book was cutlery with names engraved.

 Thankfully after all these years I have turned a little wise on the art of gifting. And I am willing to share my wisdom with you free of cost. In fact a great gifting idea I have stumbled upon is the gift of wisdom. Too often people crave to learn things they are passionate about but reserve it for some distant future when the timing would be just perfect. Things like Salsa or Guitar. Help them learn it now. Gifting learning classes is not just something unusual but also thoughtful. A Toastmasters membership also fits this category perfectly. Do you have someone who loves speaking, meeting new people or just have to do a lot of presentations? Gift them our club membership next birthday.

On that note let me tell you how our meeting works. Every Toastmasters meeting is divided into three parts. The first part is the prepared speech section where members prepare a speech in advance, get it mentored and deliver the same. The second part is the impromptu session where anyone including the guest can participate. And the third part is the most important evaluation session where we will all learn how to improve ourselves. Let me now invite the General Evaluator to explain his role. Please help me welcome TM Name with a big round of applause.

Once the General Evaluator has explained his role, start the prepared speech section. After this session, continue with the theme as under.

 Another great gifting idea that delights the recipients every time is a goody bag of several small stuffs they love with a theme. Let’s say you are gifting a car enthusiast. His small goody bag may include a beautiful steering cover, a car charger, cool dashboard figures, car vacuum and of course a key chain. Let’s say your special person loves to stay fit. So a duffel bag with a yoga mat, running shoes, great sportswear and a water bottle may just be the perfect goody bag for her. The great thing about this idea is that while one big expensive gift may or may not delight someone, smaller but thoughtful ones always do. It’s time now for the smaller speaking slots – the Table Topic Session. Please welcome our Table Topic Master for the day TM Name.

Once the Table Topic Session is over, continue with the theme as under.

A great gifting idea that I would like to borrow from a friend of mine is being charitable on your special one’s birthday. For his special one, my friend decided upon an orphanage located away from the city. After a long drive that involved music and pizza, they arrived at the orphanage where he had her cut a giant cake in a room full of kids. Thereafter rather than gifting her something, he gave her the opportunity to gift books, games, dresses and several other stuff to the kids in the orphanage. As she admitted, it was indeed her best birthday. It’s obviously great to have a big smile on our face during our special days but putting up a smile on many other faces is far more memorable and delightful. It’s time now to invite our General Evaluator to present his report. Please help me welcome TM Name.

Once the Evaluation session is over, conclude the theme as under.

It’s time I answer the obvious question on everyone’s mind – What did I gift my wife on her 30^th birthday. I gifted her an experience. It’s well known now that experiences make us far happier than materialistic things. And it indeed did delight her multiple times over when I presented her a two hour spa session at one of the finest places in the city. A visit to an adventure park, wine tasting sessions or jungle stays are all experiences that can be memorable and unique for your special ones. With that, I hope I have given you all some great ideas to find the perfect gift for your special one.

Now it’s time for the awards.