Symbolic gifts for men. Symbolic gifts: how to choose the right one What to give for a birthday purely symbolically

Do you have a situation where you need to give a gift to a man you hardly know? No problem! There are many appropriate and appropriate gifts for different situations that you can choose from. Of course, a lot depends on the person, but there are also general rules, secrets and subtleties of presentation that you can follow. We'll tell you what to give to a man purely symbolically, or to a stranger.

Gastronomic gifts

Absolutely everyone likes delicious food and drinks. Food brings pleasure, and this is the purpose of giving a gift. The budget may vary, but remember that too expensive delicacies are not always appropriate; be guided by the situation and status of the recipient.

• Good alcohol. A sure-fire first place in the ranking of what you can give even to a man you barely know, if he is not a convinced opponent of alcohol (but you would most likely know about this). Focus on strong drinks - whiskey, cognac, rum. If you don’t know much about cognacs, choose something exotic, for example, tequila or gin, chacha, grappa, in general, something interesting. Maybe wine. Champagne and sparkling wines - definitely not, firstly, these drinks are considered more “feminine”, and secondly, it is not easy to choose and evaluate a really good drink, and it is expensive.
• Exotic fruits. You can put together a small basket of unusual fruits, or just take one thing - for example, pineapple - it always looks festive.
• Cupcakes to order. This is a great idea, especially since they can even be made unsweetened. And on top they decorate in the desired style, even with inscriptions. Look for confectioners in your city on social networks and ask about offers. Even a man you don’t know very well can be presented with cupcakes in the desired theme for his birthday, you just need to think about this in advance, usually at least a week in advance.
• Delicacies. For example, seafood. But here you need to take into account the status of the person. It will be interesting for a student, but definitely not for an adult businessman. This can also include octopus, crab, several kilograms of crayfish (if you are going to a summer party).
• Cake. Even men eat sweets. You can bake it yourself, it will be especially interesting. If you choose in a store, give preference to chocolate ones, where there is less whipped white cream, and definitely without cream roses.
• Tea and coffee. Not packaging from a regular supermarket, but something interesting, usually sold in specialized stores. This is an excellent symbolic gift for a man for any occasion. And of course, no paper bags, look for something in beautiful jars. You can make a set of several flavors. Or give a coffee grinder and bean coffee.

Some gifts can be supplemented, for example, with beautiful glasses, stones for cooling whiskey, a coffee pot, an unusual teapot, etc.

Gifts for an unfamiliar young man

At youth holidays, many gifts are purely symbolic: men are happy about the general fun and excellent company, but some things, especially from strangers, are not so important. However, good manners mean that you give something as a gift. Here's a list of ideas:

• Funny alarm clock. The one you need to shoot at, or catch up with, or you can throw against the walls. This can be found in joke shops. It will definitely be tested immediately after unpacking.
• Headphones. If you saw that a person was listening to music on headphones and paid attention to them. Some people like linings, some like regular ones, and there are still fans of vacuum ones. At the same time, ordinary headphones are essentially a consumable item; they always break at the most inopportune moment, so the gift is useful and successful, although not funny.
• Shaker. It’s nonsense, but the men immediately begin to mix, shake, and make cocktails. You can complement the gift with glasses, a bottle of alcohol, a bartender's manual or a book on mixing cocktails. It will be fun! You can give a shaker to even a stranger you don’t know with complete confidence.
• Thermal mug or sippy cup. A sippy cup for motorists, and a high-quality thermo for everyone else. In any case, the gift is decent and good, and if you don’t need it at all, you can re-gift it, as many people like it.
• Lego. Or prefabricated 3D models that can ride or move in some way. Walk into a toy store and if a man likes fun, he'll enjoy it. Suitable up to 30 years or even older.
• Board game. Classic options - Monopoly, Civilization, Twister (this one is floor-based, but fun). As an option - alcohol chess or drunken roulette, if the company drinks alcohol.
• Certificate for extreme sports or entertainment. A parachute jump is hardly appropriate, but tasting whiskey or beer, riding an ATV, jumping from a bridge, a rock climbing lesson, racing, unusual excursions, etc. - Great. Look at the person and his hobbies; you can learn a lot from social networks.
• Items from a joke store. You can give symbolic funny gifts to even a man you don’t know very well on his birthday, but be careful with your choice. No vulgarity, black humor or anything dubious. In general, this is an option for students who love fun, laughter and big companies. If this is your situation, go ahead, especially since these things are inexpensive.

Gifts for an older man

Cool gifts for youth are fun, but what to do when you are invited to a holiday or event with a clearly adult person who is somehow inconvenient to give a construction set or a cup. It is inappropriate to give something serious; you want to give the man just a symbolic gift. Or vice versa, you need to give something expensive, but not too personal. In any case, there are options.

• Elite coffee or tea. Definitely with a name, famous, with a story that you will tell him. The choice is huge, you can always tie something to something and time it.
• Bank coin. It’s not a symbolic gift at all, but it’s just for the occasion when you need to give something serious, but you don’t know the person’s hobbies at all.
• Concert tickets. Two are required, and for an event that will take place at least a week after the presentation.
• Whiskey glasses. They fight often, so they won't be superfluous. And stones for them.
• Car accessories. For example, a coffee maker in a car can surprise many.
• Painting. Something classic, for example, on a marine theme, or maybe an image of a place in the city where you met or walked. Just not animal flowers, but something neutral.
• Book. You, most likely, can learn at least something about the person and his hobbies, and the book can definitely be given as a gift to an unfamiliar man. For example, a gift edition.

There is a rule: do not give men you don’t know well anything that you couldn’t give to, say, your boss. Maintain etiquette and respect.

Inexpensive symbolic gifts for men

What if you need to come up with something festive, but for many? For example, for men in the office, or just to choose gifts for February 23, or for the New Year? In this case, the gift is just a token of attention, and it definitely doesn’t have to be expensive. And, of course, it won't be personal. We present our list:

• Money box. It is convenient to throw change from your pockets into it. Just let it be beautiful and not vulgar.
• Credit card knife. It’s brutal and funny at the same time, very symbolic and budget-friendly, but men like it. After all, a practical gift that takes up minimal space and is always handy in your wallet.
• Stressball. The ball is pleasant to the touch. They can usually be squeezed in your hand or thrown against a wall.
• Multitool business card. It's no bigger than a credit card, but it contains a variety of tools, from a beer opener to a screwdriver.
• Keychain that responds to a whistle. Clip on house or car keys and other important little things that disappear at the last moment.
• Metal puzzle. For a group, you can recruit different ones, they will solve the puzzle together and exchange them.
• Coin of Solutions“Yes/No”, “Lucky/Unlucky”, “Drink/Don’t drink”. They're funny, even if they're completely petty.
• A set of shot glasses in a case. Just without the stupid inscriptions.

All the options we have named are no more than 200 rubles. And at the same time, men would like to receive them. Add a little more and there will be much more ideas.

What is definitely not worth giving

As you can see, you can give a lot to a man you don’t know well, but there are also gifts that you definitely shouldn’t give. In general, you shouldn’t present them to your friends, except for very personal relationships. But here:

• Perfume. Although for some reason it is recommended by gift sites. It's very personal.
• Soap, detergent, shaving. Just because it doesn't.
• Jewelry and accessories. If you are not closely acquainted, there is a high risk of not guessing. This also includes ties, belts, cufflinks.
• Chocolates and chocolate. Even expensive ones.
• Candles.
• “Cool” figurines, certificates, medals and other useless dust collectors.
• Kits for growing anything. What if it doesn't grow?
• Personalized dishes, potholders, teaspoons and the like.
• Vulgar gifts from a joke store.
• Souvenirs for the wallet - all these money mice, money shovels and so on.
• Feng Shui products.
• Religious things and objects of worship.
• Things with political symbols.

They expect something more adequate from a stranger. If you are not sure that the recipient will definitely be happy with deodorant or a candle, choose something else.

There are only a few people who know how to choose and give gifts correctly. The secret of these chosen ones is simple: they know that a gift must have a secret meaning in addition to its practical value. You can present an expensive gadget so boringly that there will be no feeling of celebration left, or you can present a simple stone and tell what in Greece it means: “May your money be as heavy as this stone.”

You can flaunt your knowledge of symbolism beautifully, or you can skimp on it ugly. Who likes it more?

Western tradition - to get away with little blood

Of course, not all cultures are equally symbolic. Each country has its own etiquette for giving gifts, but the deep life meaning in them is laid mainly in the East. In the West, things are much simpler.

Are you about to give a terribly expensive gift, but you're afraid the recipient doesn't appreciate your generosity? There is a wonderful American tradition for this case: enclosing a receipt! True, they do this not to brag, but to give a person the opportunity to exchange their gift (if they don’t like it) for real money. By the way, it is Americans who give the most gifts in the world.

But the Irish don't send checks. Because there's no point. It is customary to give gifts here only to children. Adults do without such conventions. When going on a visit, you are supposed to take with you some food (preferably homemade) and wine. So if your loved one is into the currently fashionable Celtic motifs, don’t be surprised that you show up with a bottle of vodka and home-cut sandwiches. The main thing is that traditions are respected!

Scandinavians and Finns don’t rack their brains too much either. The best gift is a candle! In these northern countries, living fire is a symbol of warmth, comfort, and light. Denmark generally ranks first in the world in terms of candle consumption per capita. But the Swedes prefer to give homemade candles. The art is simple: cover a rope well soaked in alcohol with soft wax or paraffin. Then everything depends on your sculpting talent. At least the gift budget is minimal, unless, of course, you don’t mind a little alcohol for a good person.

In France, with its cult of reason and education, a good art album, a highly intelligent book or a film are considered excellent gifts. In this way, you emphasize your respect for the cultural level of your interlocutor. Therefore, it is unlikely that a Frenchman will give such a gift to a Belgian - there are too many jokes in France about the stupidity of its northeastern neighbors. And indeed, the problem of gift symbols in Belgium is being solved in the most radical way. The gift is often accompanied by a card on which it is written in detail what exactly the item means. So that the recipient, God forbid, does not perceive the gift in some way incorrectly.

And finally, about caution. If you celebrate Valentine's Day cheerfully among the Germans, you will be misunderstood. For Germans, Saint Valentine is the patron saint of crazy people. And his day is celebrated primarily in psychiatric hospitals. However, what is love if not temporary insanity?

It's a delicate matter

In classical Eastern culture, every object is a symbol of something intangible. Without a detailed reference book it is impossible to understand these intricacies. Let's try, however, to find some key points of Eastern gift-giving.

It is a commonplace that a Chinese person should not be given a watch. It is believed that keeping track of time reminds the Chinese of death. May be so. Moreover, the expression “giving a watch” sounds in Chinese exactly like “attending a funeral.”

In China, people are generally very sensitive to the sound of words. Thus, “four” is considered an unlucky number only because it is consonant with “death.” But we can turn our neighbors' prejudice to our advantage. Is it decent to give a girl a mobile phone that she has long dreamed of? After all, it certainly contains the ill-fated clock!

Give me a fan instead! After all, its shape is similar to the lucky “eight” (two divergent features that, according to Chinese thought, lure and prolong happiness). Or something else of a similar shape: for example, an umbrella.

A great way to offend a Chinese person is to give him something, no matter how valuable, but in a rectangular elongated box. The trained gaze of slanted eyes will immediately see in this a coffin, and, consequently, a wish for death.

It seems that our southeastern friends are tired of their own total symbolism. At least they consider money to be the best gift. True, etiquette has been developed for this case too: the bills must be crisp, fresh from the bank, and certainly in a special red envelope with best wishes written on it.

And the second most desirable gift in China now, alas, is... binoculars. Moreover, they do not respect their own, Chinese optics, but are completely delighted with ours, especially the army ones. And no symbolism! It’s just that here it’s not considered indecent to peek at each other, and the general lack of curtains contributes to this. It is probably believed that if you are hiding from your neighbors, then you have something to hide from the party and the government.

But in general, the value of a gift for the Chinese is in its value. Getting away with an incredibly cute but cheap trinket is extremely indecent.

The Japanese, while in no way inferior to continental Asia in the complexity of traditions, still treat them more calmly. So, on February 14, they give each other expensive chocolate and eat it to the point of diathesis. This is their convenient symbol of love.

Islanders generally love to eat. For example, a food set of expensive products is considered an excellent gift. This is not accepted among us, but perhaps it’s in vain? A good basket from Globus Gourmet will please a normal girl much more than a thirty-four teddy bear the size of a live baby elephant. Or it’s considered chic to bring back food from a trip that is produced only in the city where you were. Reminds me a bit of my former father-in-law - from every business trip he brings back a bunch of labels from local beers.

And the Japanese prefer to give flowers to their girls through delivery services. You won’t see a man with flowers on public transport – that’s not the samurai way. In addition, some Japanese are so strict that they are still convinced that giving flowers is the prerogative of members of the imperial family. This is exactly how it was accepted in the Middle Ages. So you can tell your offended friend: “Let Medvedev give you flowers!”

In contrast to the Western taboo on piercing gifts, in the East a good saber is an excellent gift for a man. Such things are especially valued in Muslim countries. True, there may not be a weapon accepted from a woman’s hands. War is a man's business.

And do not give anything as a gift in Saudi Arabia on February 14th. For celebrating this ungodly day there is a heavy fine.

In general, Muslims probably have the largest list of things that cannot be given. Of course, alcohol is excluded. Pigskin too. Works of art are extremely undesirable: they often contain images of people who are not approved by orthodox Islam. In poor countries like Pakistan, it is better to give utilitarian things; in spoiled countries like Arabia, a carpet is considered a classic gift, but dishes or trinkets made of porcelain or silver will also do.

* * *

Everyone gives gifts. The male spider presents the bride with a fly - so that the spider does not eat the male himself after the wedding night. The stupid penguin boldly catches a fish and gives it to his passion, who could easily get this fish herself. The weaver bird is said to bring fresh flowers to the marital bed. And in the St. Petersburg zoo, a small macaque once stole a mirror from a servant and presented it to the dominant male.

There is only one universal symbol in gifts. "Heart" means "love." Here you will be understood both in Namibia and the Falklands. And maybe even in the St. Petersburg zoo.

2 years ago

Women are the most amazing creatures who always amaze us with their beauty, features, and incredible femininity. They are always beautiful, desirable, and looking at them, you just want to give them gifts, attention, warmth, and care. This doesn’t even require a special occasion, because an original gift can be given to a woman just like that. And it is completely unimportant who this person is for you. Maybe she is your wife, mother, sister, work colleague or just a distant acquaintance.

Agree, few people want to be predictable, so when choosing gifts for a birthday or other occasions, we all try to buy something truly worthwhile and unique. Likewise, it will be much more pleasant for the woman herself to receive as a gift something creative, interesting and unique, and certainly not something that she already has. And believe me, it’s not even so important here how much the gift costs - 200 rubles or 5,000 rubles. The main thing is imagination!

Each requires an individual approach

As you know, there are much more women on our planet than men. But now just imagine that everyone has their own tastes, opinions, desires. And this only means that gifts for women should be very diverse. And right away I would like to give a little advice: if you are strangers, then before choosing a birthday present, be sure to try to visit the girl. After all, if you have never been to her house in your life, consider that you hardly know each other. It's probably better for you not to experiment at all, i.e. do not give her things that are somehow related to everyday life.

Remember that when choosing an unusual gift for a woman, you need to focus primarily on your relationship with her. Although they say that a gift is not as valuable as the attention shown, your gift can still play a very significant role.

If you are looking for a gift for the woman you love, then you can safely buy precious jewelry, as well as other more expensive gifts costing from 10,000 rubles, since you know each other almost by heart. If you don’t know the girl very well, but you still need to give a gift, then out of many options, only a couple of simple and trivial ideas may be available to you. And these “formal” gifts, which the fair sex almost always receive as a gift, are the following budget, elementary and accessible options.

Flower bouquets and compositions

Women who don't like flowers probably don't exist. But even in this matter, there is no definitely exact version of the bouquet that absolutely everyone would like. Therefore, if you want to choose a birthday gift for your significant other or close friend, then you must have a clear idea of ​​what colors she prefers. For such “formal” gifts, roses, chrysanthemums, lilies, or such bright and spring flowers as chrysanthemums may be suitable.

To make life sweet

Another almost win-win surprise option is a box of expensive chocolates. Such sets cost between 400-800 rubles. You can also add a luxury chocolate bar to this list. Its cost can be about 300-500 rubles. By the way, packaging is also far from the last place. An unusual, original presentation of sweets or chocolate is almost 50% of success. Ladies are usually very greedy for beautiful wrappers, so you shouldn’t forget about this point when choosing a gift for your beloved woman.

Fragrances

You probably may not know the girl’s preferences in order to present her with exactly the brand of eau de toilette that she is crazy about. But you can try to find something with the scent she is currently wearing. If a person is very dear to you, then you need to take the choice of perfume seriously, otherwise your unwanted surprise will stand on her dressing table and gather dust. As you understand, it is still not advisable to give such a gift to a girl you don’t know well. It’s better not to take risks so as not to simply throw money away. But what kind of gifts can you give her then? The most popular options are:

• A ticket to the theater or to a film premiere (in this case, you should take into account what genre she loves most);
• Hair styling devices (quite expensive - from 2000 rubles: hair dryer, curling iron, tongs, corrugated);
• Kits for creativity, such as embroidery, painting by numbers.

When you choose a gift for a man, you are, first of all, guided by your knowledge of the hero of the occasion, the feelings you have for him and the festive situation for which the gift is dedicated. This is all, of course, understandable and beyond doubt. But gifts also come in completely different themes and categories. And in order to more clearly understand what kind of gift is suitable for this or that representative of the stronger sex, we will dwell in detail on one of the most popular and interesting types of gifts. Let's look at what they are, symbolic gifts for men.

Symbolic gifts become such when they are endowed with this quality by the people who purchase these products. But that is not all. Symbolic gifts are known for their understatement, a hint of something. In particular, they can symbolize: friendship, love, and even the age-old connection of generations.

Thus, the award products that are presented on our website symbolize success and victory over something, recognition of the extraordinary qualities of an employee, and even tender feelings for the recipient. If you give your beloved man a figurine with the engraving *Winner of my heart*, the hero of the occasion will have no doubt about your feelings. By presenting an employee with a figurine on a professional holiday with the inscription *For the courage and heroism shown on the fields of business battles*, you will show how much you value your colleague. And an Oscar with the inscription “For Best Actor” will symbolize success, achievement of goals, and self-sufficiency. After all, only the most select few are awarded the famous American knight.

Romantic gifts can also be classified as *symbolic gifts for men*. Give the young man a keychain *Halves of a Heart*, keep half of the product for yourself, and give the other half to your loved one. He will always be next to you, in your heart and soul, just like you, next to him, and his half of the keychain will always remind you of you and warm you in a moment of separation.

Finally, an extremely symbolic gift is the Genealogical Book. This is an original gift for any holiday. By presenting this gift, you are giving not just a beautifully designed unique publication. This is a valuable historical document that will be completed over many years and passed down from generation to generation. This book is especially relevant as a wedding gift or anniversary present. A bright and memorable gift with meaning will delight any man. The cover is a wooden case. The delivery set includes: the book itself, a DVD with recommendations for completing the publication, and the author's brochure "Writing a Genealogy Book." Drawing up a family tree begins with filling out the Main Sheets of Relatives, which can be easily distributed among all generations, by clan and by family. The content of these pages will allow you to present family ties in a visual form and in a traditional form. In addition, based on them, you can create a Calendar of family memorable dates. It is possible to fill out the sheets both on the computer and by hand. Keeping a Pedigree Book is an excellent opportunity to communicate with relatives whom you have not seen for a long time. Information must be updated regularly.

You need to give symbolic gifts with a special feeling; remember that the recipient will definitely understand what you intended to say with your presentation. And for close and dear people, such gifts are ideal options that can be presented for almost any celebration.

Symbolic gift. Show your imagination

There comes a time for every person when it is awkward to give a banal gift, but there is not enough money for an expensive one. Why not choose a symbolic gift.

In everyday dialogues, we quite often come across such an expression as “giving a symbolic gift.” A symbol most often means some hidden meaning, a chain of associations, aimed in our case at inducing positive emotions.

Moreover, if you fill the symbolic gift you purchased with some symbolism, this allows you to kill two birds with one stone - save a lot of money and show off your originality.

So, your imagination, embedded in comments about the semantic load and symbolism of the present you are presenting, will help smooth out the roughness of the gift and at the same time demonstrate your own originality.

Let's start with “banal symbolism”. What could be more natural than a gift from a rabbit for the New Year, which will be held under the sign of this particular animal. And for events such as a birthday or a first date, flowers and perfumes would be appropriate.

Let's continue the logical series - your boss, who conducts business correspondence, will be pleased to receive a beautiful pen or notebook in an original binding for the holiday. A symbolic gift for new residents is household appliances, furniture or even building materials. All this will come in handy when moving into a new apartment.

In a word, the symbolism in these “holiday” cause-and-effect relationships is quite traditional, does not cause any heated debate and is accepted as part of everyday etiquette in any civilized society.

It is much more difficult to buy a symbolic gift that carries a more hidden, intellectual connotation, and here all your ingenuity and imagination, as they say, will come in handy
non-standard approach to the problem.

One day, my friend gave his girlfriend an unusual amulet - a piece of wood with mysterious, incomprehensible letters.

He supplied his gift with an ancient legend, according to which a similar thing was worn around the neck of girls of marriageable age from ancient tribes in Central Africa, so that the spirits would help them quickly find their chosen one.

A beautiful legend compensated for the cheapness of the gift presented and served as a hint to formalize their relationship.

You shouldn’t think that a piece of wood was the main reason for creating a strong family, but the trend is quite obvious - the associative meaning of the gift is beautiful and practical.

Or another example - by giving your boss, for example, goalkeeper gloves and a soccer ball, you will return your boss to his distant childhood, where he defended the goal of his school team.

Just before this, you need to carefully find out some facts from the biography of your boss, since his passion, for example, for rowing, in our case, will create an awkward situation.

Thus, the technology of giving “meaningful gifts” is based on two postulates:

1. Firstly, it is a good knowledge of the person to whom you are going to give a gift.
2. Secondly, your original idea, which will help turn even the most inexpensive and, at first glance, unsightly gift into an amazing incentive to raise pleasant memories from the depths of the recipient’s memory.

This will ultimately create a friendly, relaxed atmosphere, so necessary not only on holidays, but also on the “gray days of the calendar.” And your symbolic gift will bring joy and good mood to your loved one.