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We managed to get in touch with Leading_War_5847, whose real name is Kate, and she was kind enough to have a little chat with us about her now-viral post and the discussion it has started.
"Just before I blasted that question out to the r/AskReddit world, I had pondered this and past years' gifts that had me mentally or verbally stating '...What? Why? Is this real life or did I really just open an avocado as a Christmas gift?' (If you know the meme, you know)," she told Bored Panda.
"I knew I wasn't the only one who had these same thoughts and wanted to hear different strangers' responses!"
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"Several reoccurring themes amongst the comments seem to be 'Nothing', which is heartbreaking sifting through thousands of comments," the Redditor observed. "Here is a reminder to [think of] your loved ones in your life, even the smallest gesture will evidently be cherished!"
Kate releases poetry and other forms of self-expression on her blog, and whether it's her compassionate nature shining through or not, she doesn't necessarily believe in a "bad" Christmas present.
That being said, "there are well-thought-through, caring gifts, and last-minute, careless gifts. I personally prefer the first group!" she explained.
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Put it the gift bag with the baking dish he got me( which I wanted).
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Kate's right. Research into the psychological side of the subject suggests there are two things to consider when giving someone a gift.
The first is to make the recipient happy — that mostly depends on whether the gift is something they want.
The second is to strengthen the relationship between us (the giver) and them (the recipient). This is achieved by giving a thoughtful and memorable gift, one that shows we know the person and can figure out what they want even without directly asking.
So there's no one universal thing for all.
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According to Adrian R. Camilleri, senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Technology Sydney, Australia, the best kind of gift is one both desired by the recipient and is thoughtful.
The worst kind of gift, on the other hand, is neither desired nor thoughtful.
"This is why buying a gift can be so anxiety-inducing. There is a social risk involved," he explained.
"A well-received gift can improve the quality of relationship between giver and recipient by increasing feelings of connection, bonding, and commitment. A poorly received gift can do the opposite."
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