Gifts are a burden.

It’s a burden for people who have to buy them, and a burden for people who receive it.

Especially when the item received is probably something that we don’t want. Or need.

But there are other reasons why I wouldn’t actually use your gifts:

Because I am neither Vanessa nor Terell. So there really isn’t any reason for me to use these gifts.

But the worst gifts are really the same few items -- it’s as if there’s a standard list of items for obligatory gifts you can get for people you don’t really know.

Mugs

IMO, there is a formula for a great gift:

Practicality + Uniqueness/ Sentimental value + Aesthetically pleasing

Not all gifts have to be great gifts, but in the case of the mug, it’s ubiquitous presence and supply (not sure where the demand is from) has spawned a great deal of designs that -- simply put -- try too hard.

Also, because most of us probably already possess mugs, the practicality of the mug as a gift has sadly been rendered redundant.

Keychains

I’m sorry, I just don’t have so many keys. I’m also no longer a primary school kid who loves hanging keychains and baubles on my bags.

That’s not how working adults dress.

Going back to the formula for a great gift:

Practicality + Uniqueness/ Sentimental value + Aesthetically pleasing

Sure, there is sentimental value, in some sense. But again, if I wasn’t the one who got married, I wouldn’t carry around someone’s wedding date with me. Same goes for a place I’ve never been to.

Another important and recent point -- we use a smart lock at home. Bye bye keys.

Thumbdrives

Hello, it’s 2019. Have you heard of cloud computing?

Perhaps, just perhaps, if you work in industries where information is hush-hush and you have to use more ancient methods to share information, the thumbdrive could be useful.

But otherwise:

This article was written on Google Drive.

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Which is why most people are happy to receive vouchers (actually cash is best, but it may seem rude) as gifts. Because it saves everyone some trouble.

Grab gift cards

Now, there are tons of places you can choose to buy vouchers from, and here’s one that you can impress your friends with: Grab.

Basically, you can now get your friends and acquaintances Grab gift cards, which they can use for their Grab rides or when buying food.

Face it, Grab is everywhere now. These gift cards would be useful to anyone with an internet connection.

Which is really great. And they wouldn’t have to physically go to a particular mall or store to spend it.

They also come in cool designs:

Heck, they look like such fun to receive, and are easy to get - just head over to Grab and you’ve got a gift that’ll delight just about anyone.

This is obviously a sponsored article by Grab.

Top Image from here