Generally, I do think that personalized gifts are better gifts, but of course I can't say that this is true for every single gift.

What about the gift recipient who doesn't want his or her name on things? A gift is for the recipient so we should always focus on them and try to understand their preferences. A gift can still be a wonderful thing - whether it is personalized or not - as long as the 'mood' of the gift is right.

So my question is not so much if personalized gifts are superior, but rather if personalization of a gift makes it a gift better.

Naturally, every gift begins with a choice. What is my gift going to be? This is crucial regardless of whether a gift is personalized or not. A mediocre gift will still be mediocre even if you add a name, logo or photo to it.

Personalization cannot make up for the fact that a particular gift does not focus on the recipient's preferences, desires or special interests. For example, a monogrammed ring will probably not be the best choice for a guy who doesn't like to wear jewelry - no matter how much you may like the ring yourself.

If you fail to keep the recipient in focus when you choose a gift, your gift likely will not leave the lasting impression you were hoping for, (and if it does - it will probably be a bad one). Personalization also cannot compensate for a gift of low quality in terms of materials and production. In order to avoid this problem, be sure to stick to reputable retailers.

Once you've settled on a gift that reflects your recipient's personality and interests - and lets assume that you've found a gift that they will probably love - don't you think that personalizing that gift can make it even better?

Let's use a beautiful rosewood fountain pen as an example. Lets imagine two of these beautiful fountain pens sitting side by side. One plain and one personalized. In almost all cases a recipient will be more attracted to the pen with the personalization. Why is that? Why would a person like the personalized fountain pen more than the plain one?

In our experience, people (and especially Americans) simply like to see their own name, monogram or logo on things. It makes the item uniquely their own and expresses a measure of individuality and personal style. Personalization is popping up everywhere now as more and more people express their desire for unique and one of a kind goods.

So, does that make personalized gifts superior? Not necessarily, but we can say for certain that personalizing is a step that marks your gift as being more thoughtful and unique than the average gift and one that is truly meant for that special person you had in mind when you bought it.

Copyright 2005 ILovePersonalizedGifts.com, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

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