Who doesn’t enjoy receiving gifts?! It’s awesome to feel appreciated, loved, and respected. It’s even better when you know for a fact that the other person put in a ton of effort to curate the present to you, uniquely.
Inspired by content creator @howdoewedo, the TikTok community opened up about the most personal and thoughtful gifts that they’ve ever received. These are the kinds of wholesome presents that don’t cost a lot, but because of how creative they are, they seem super expensive. Scroll down to read all about these people’s experiences. And we hope you’re taking notes—we know we are!
Bored Panda reached out to @howdoewedo for a friendly chat about gift-giving, and she was kind enough to share her thoughts with us. You’ll find our full interview with her below.
Image source: @howdoewedo
#1
A recipe card in my mum’s handwriting – my favourite childhood
dish. she gave it to me when i moved out
Image credits: @howdoewedo
According to David Robson, the author of ‘The Expectation Effect: How Your Mindset Can Transform Your Life,’ December can “often feel like a never-ending ordeal, as we try to find the perfect gifts for our nearest and dearest.”
He writes in a piece in The Guardian that, “No matter how well we know someone, we struggle to discern their hidden wishes and desires. Each decision can feel like a test of our relationship. This is a natural consequence of the brain’s workings. Humans may be unique in our advanced ability to consider others’ viewpoints, but perspective-taking is enormously taxing for our little grey cells.”
#2
my aunty and uncle gifted me a pounamu for my 20th birthday, it’s been the only gift that has made me cry
Image credits: Portia
#3
My sister brought me the Calpak Luka for Christmas. I mentioned it ONE time. I cry every time I use it (and I use it daily.)
Image credits: G
Coming up with gift ideas by trying to understand what people want is mentally taxing, according to Julian Givi, a professor at West Virginia University. As such, your choices can miss the mark completely.
Some of the main things to consider when getting someone a gift are the following:
- Think beyond the moment of actually exchanging the gift. Go for long-term enjoyment rather than short-term pleasure;
- People tend to want the presents they actually requested rather than being surprised;
- Exciting experiences stick with you longer, so it’s better to focus on them than material goods;
- The cost of the gift often isn’t important;
- You should set your ego aside and focus on bringing the other person joy. If you stumble across a genuinely good, unique item, don’t be selfish and keep it for yourself to feel special;
- Opt for something that’s more sentimental and emotional than expensive or practical.
#4
My partner used his business connections to get me a Harrison Assessment so I could figure out what I wanted to do as a new career. It really gave me direction in life. It was so thoughtful.
Image credits: NS
#5
the wooden pompompurin that my bf carved(it’s his first time carving) from a big chunk of wood, because he knows i love pompompurin
Image credits: idgaffayyfbfp
#6
My boyfriend bought me the padme lake dress for me because I talked about how beautiful it was I want to get it but it was so expensive. He got me into star wars and it means a lot to me. Mostly because he listens to what I want instead of gifting me whatever
Image credits: kameirahhh
Meanwhile, empathy is a wonderful skill to have in your arsenal here. CNN urges you to put yourself in the gift receiver’s shoes. Think about what they’d buy for themselves.
“That might seem obvious, but it happens far less than we’d like. People tend to use gifts as jokes, encouragements to change one’s ways, or to signal something about themselves rather than providing utility (or happiness) to the receiver. The best way to get it right is to simply ask the upfront question, ‘What would you like?’”
#7
one of my best friends single handedly folded one thousand paper cranes when she found out my dad had cancer. In japan it’s like a wish for good health. and in one of them she wrote her wish —that my dad would live long enough to walk me down the isle
Image credits: malaykaphoo
#8
My son surprised me with a bouquet of flowers for Father’s Day today. I’m a single mom
Image credits: Chr1stmas
#9
I lost my baby blanket when I was 14. My bff cut hers in half (a gift from her grandma) and gave it to me. I’m 36 and still sleep with it. Her grandma just passed so I cut my half in half and sent it to her since she had lost hers.
Image credits: madddddyyyy0
Some people seem like they’re naturally good at coming up with ideas for gifts. Others (hi!) struggle with gift-giving to a ridiculous extent. All in all, gift-giving is like any other skill. The more you practice it, the better you’ll get. It also offers you space to sharpen your creativity and truly strengthen the relationships you care about the most.
That being said, let’s not be naive. Coming up with unique, authentically thoughtful, personal gifts is hard. It’s also exhausting and time-consuming if you have a lot of cool people in your social life. Not to mention that all of those expenses add up, even if you’re very thrifty and have a penchant for being economical.
In short, you want to be in a situation where you genuinely enjoy getting, crafting, and giving people gifts. Not like you’re doing things simply out of a sense of duty, like a burned-out Santa’s little helper in the North Pole. If you find no joy in gift-giving, take a break, step back, scale back, and focus on the most important thing: helping other people feel seen and understood.
#10
I was adopted when I was only a few days old. Never knew my biological mother. 3 years ago I finally found my biological family, unfortunately, my mom has past in 2009. Turns out my biological family has been searching for me since I was adopted. When I met them, they gave me a baby dress my mom hand made for me while still in the hospital with me before giving me away. She never got the chance to give it to me before I left. I cried when I received it you wouldn’t believe!
Image credits: vals4real
#11
a homemade kalimba from one of my coworkers. He found out I got dumped by my ex of 7 years a month before and spent his time carving the kalimba and customizing the design to my favorite musical (Les Miserables)
Image credits: linnisoo
#12
My granny was midway through knitting a blanket for me to take to uni when she died. My mom secretly learnt how to knit so she could finish it for me as my graduation present.
Image credits: Emma
We were very curious to find out about the inspiration behind @howdoewedo’s awesome viral post. She was happy to share the story with Bored Panda.
“This one’s quite personal to me and comes from my own experience. Before I moved away for college, my mum wrote me a little recipe notebook with all my favorite dishes,” she told us via email.
“I ended up sharing it online and was so touched to see how many people had similar stories or just loved reading through the comments. It really made me feel warm inside, and I think a lot of people felt the same way,” @howdoewedo said.
“It’s one of those everyday moments that feels so real and relatable, and I’m glad others connected with it too.”
#13
My grandma sewed all of us grandkids quilts for us to have as a wedding gift. She passed in 2017 but this last weekend I got my handmade wedding gift from her
Image credits: Lindsey
#14
the day after my 18th birthday my dad handed me a bundle of letters. each year on my birthday from my first birthday to my 18th he would wait for me to go to bed and he would write me a letter of all the things i had done that year and reasons i made him proud. from walking to being a good friend to making a soccer team. i could cry just thinking about it
Image credits: jenna
#15
A bottle of perfume, nothing too expensive from my brother…5 days later he passed away. I only ever wear it on special occasions, his birthday/death anniversary or exams.
Image credits: Danni Baker
Bored Panda also asked the content creator about what lies at the core of a truly great gift.
“I think people often focus too much on the price of a gift when really it’s the thought that counts,” she told us.
“The intention behind a gift (something personal or thoughtful) always means more than the price tag. It doesn’t have to be functional or expensive, just something that shows you really thought about the person,” @howdoewedo said.
#16
My brother was really financially struggling one year round my birthday so he made me a Spotify playlist of all songs that reminded him of me and songs i loved when I was younger … I loved it x
Image credits: LC
#17
When my daughter was 4 she wrapped an empty box and drew X’s and O’s all over it. When I opened it, she yelled “hurry mommy- catch them- you’re letting all the kisses out!” 😭🥹 that was 23 yrs ago and nobody had ever topped it.
Image credits: Tiffany Featherstone Art
#18
I’m 24 & my bf took me to build a bear workshop because i told him i never got to experience that during my childhood & it was always on my bucket list . I cried in line as the lady was stuffing my bear. He healed me & it’s the best gift i ever had in my life
Image credits: Blessinnn_
Digital content creator @howdoewedo’s post got a jaw-dropping 501.5k likes, 13.4 comments, and 10.8k reshares on TikTok at the time of writing. The post also garnered a whopping 6.5 million views (and counting!). The creator has collected around 7.6 million likes across all of her posts, clips, and videos on the platform so far.
If you enjoy this type of content, be sure to check out @howdoewedo’s TikTok account. Meanwhile, if you enjoy travel, take a peek at her YouTube channel, too!
Which of these gift ideas genuinely surprised you the most, in the best possible way? What is the very best present you’ve ever received, dear Pandas? On the flip side, what’s the most thoughtful and creative gift that you think you’ve ever given someone else? What’s your secret to truly great gift-giving?
Honestly, we really want to know what you have to say on this topic. Feel free to share your thoughts and advice in the comments at the bottom of this post!
#19
someone bought my favourite childhood book (they stopped making copies and i’ve been looking for one everywhere, even secondhand but no luck) on my birthday, i was given a NEW hard copy with… a sign of the AUTHOR from the author itself, HANDWRITTEN with a short birthday note. turns out, the author was emailed by the person themself and asked for one, FOR ME. i cried, i never knew someone could care that much about me. i never thought my words were enough to make someone move a mountain for me (at least that’s how it felt like). we aren’t together anymore but i still talk about the gift whenever i get a chance to. it’s the best one ever.
Image credits: naomi
#20
My dad saw how much I liked jewellery, so he took a class and cuts me stones to put in rings
Image credits: spidercvnt
#21
My husband secretly took a day off work and deep cleaned the house while I was at work.
Image credits: Catsworth
#22
I jokingly told my students on a field trip to the mall to buy me something nice and they brought me back a crocheted plant that said “Thanks for helping me grow”talk about a ball of tears lol
Image credits: Donna
#23
My brother gave me a kidney
Image credits: Sabrina
#24
My younger sister( 8 years age gap) gave me flowers for mothers day she said because I was her second mom and I helped raise her
Image credits: rbeivls
#25
I go to the same coffee shop every single morning and get the same drink. I have for the last 10 years. One of my baristas hand knitted me a coozie for my iced latte. I cherish the s*** out of this thing.
Image credits: AlyssaLouisee
#26
my friend gifted me a ring for my 21st because she said in her family girls got nice rings on their 21st and to her I was family
Image credits: LaTiaCynthia
#27
When my husband and I were dating we were hanging out in his bedroom and he had tons of dirty laundry in a hamper and said he didn’t wanna do so much laundry. I said I wish that hamper was full of candy bars instead of dirty clothes (I was craving sweets) and we laughed and moved on. Our first Christmas together he gave me a laundry basket full of candy bars
Image credits: itssometimessummer
#28
My friend crocheted me a bouquet of flowers because she knew how allergic I am to pollen and I always wanted flowers bless her heart
Image credits: mmasello
#29
when I worked for a doctor one of our patients found out I was moving states and she took her earrings out and gave them to me.
Image credits: Steph
#30
During covid time, my mom was not able to go buy a birthday gift for me so instead she spend weeks writing a recipe book with all the family recipes she knew
Image credits: user446161926540
#31
i hadn’t ever gotten flowers before, so when she asked my favorite flower i told her i didn’t know— so she made a custom bouquet with different flowers so i could find my favorite
#32
my best friend folded 100 paper cranes and hung them up in my house for my first 100 days clean. I’d never felt so cared for and seen
#33
I used to work in social housing with some of the poorest kids in my city. One of them got me a pack of gum from the dollar store. She gave it to me wrapped in a piece of paper she had drawn all over and when I opened it all she said was “I really hope you like gum” and I cried because I do like gum but also because I loved her.
#34
my grammy made me a rainbow scarf after i came out. girly had me crying in front of the family at christmas
#35
My mamaw always called to sing happy birthday to me on my bday. I had a recording of it. She died- my bf found the recording; put it in a build a bear and gave it to me for my bday so she could still sing to me
#36
I was talking to my friend while her Mom was there. We saw a commercial for one of those jewelry boxes that had a mini ballerina turning inside and played music. I told my friend that I’ve always wanted one since I was a little girl. That Christmas, her Mom bought one for me with my initials engraved on it. The sweetest most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received.
#37
One of my 7th grade students gave me a gift card to Starbucks randomly in October. I asked what it was for. He said “I had money and I don’t know if I’ll have money around Christmas time so I wanted to make sure you had a Christmas gift from me.”
#38
A 5th grade student overhead me talking about liking tamales & a few days later he showed up with 3 different kinds…his mom said he begged for days to make them but all 3 kinds bc he wasn’t sure which one was my favorite & wanted it to be a surprise
#39
First valentines day after my husband left me our son made me a huge heart out of Legos and it took him weeks. He watched YouTube videos and everything. He was 6. I modge podged it so I could keep it forever
#40
My best friend (rip) bought my daughter a dollar store plaster butterfly to paint. She felt guilty that she “couldn’t get anything nicer”. We painted that butterfly and 9 years later, that butterfly still sits on my stove. I miss her everyday.
#41
When I first started Nursing I had a little girl draw me a picture to say thanks for taking care of her Mom. 🥹 Still have it on the fridge and I’m retired now.
#42
I complimented my friend on her jeans and the smell of her hair product. She bought both for me for Christmas
#43
All my pets have been named after flowers, my best friend made a bouquet of all of them made of felt… I cried
#44
I wrote my first book when I was 19 and one of my friends read it, then recreated the necklace the main character wore down to every detail and gave it to me for Christmas 🥲 it cost her $11 and I still wear it 12 years later
#45
My partner fills my water cup every evening. My kid sits at my desk in the morning and writes me notes on my legal pad. And our cat brings me toys everyday after I feed her. Pretty great.
#46
My husband bought me a $60 microwave to put in the bedroom closet so I wouldn’t have to go down to the kitchen to heat up my heat pack for my back pain
#47
My younger brother gave me his favourite childhood book when I found out I was pregnant. I read that book to my brother every night before he went to sleep.
#48
My friend made my small business a website
#49
my husband always brings me little treats. sometimes its a soda when he stopped for gas, sometimes it’s a wild flower he picked on the way home, or video of a bird. Just endless things that lead me to conclude that Ive never left his mind even for a moment
#50
My grandmother sent me a card and when I opened it, she had cut-out bugs off baby wipe packaging bc her nickname for me is bugs, and put them inside. There were about 30 of them and I cried picturing her cutting them out.
#51
when i was 14 i was really into playing piano but i only played on my ipad and my dream was to play on actual keys. my friends group collected money and bought me a keyboard. i still have and it’s very special to me
#52
my stepson welded me a flower, super awesome!
#53
My partner bought me a clock that shines the time on the ceiling so I didn’t have to move my neck after a neck fusion.
#54
my husband got me my first ever bike. I was 37.
#55
My daughter wrapped up her favourite teddy and gave it to me for my birthday as her father wouldn’t take her shopping for me
#56
The last thing my grandmother ever got me before she died. A tie she mailed me because “it made my eyes pop”. I wore that to my college graduation recently so she could be there with me.
#57
A former student gifted me a notebook before starting middle school and inside was a four page letter on how I positively impacted her life. I read it whenever I’m doubting myself as a teacher.
#58
My little girl made me an Optimus Prime out of toilet rolls and cardboard when she was 7. I told her I wasn’t allowed one by my parents as a child because “they were for boys”
#59
My boyfriend took me by the hand on our graduation day and took me to our campus center where all the flags are and showed me he hung my Bolivian flag that was never there, one of the most special gifts I have received
#60
My car got broken into and they stole some stuff including a sonny angel hipper I had, I cried because I had just gotten it. 2 weeks later a package came in the mail and my little sister used her savings to buy me three more
#61
My mom let me chose any book at the store and I chose Little Women. 50 years later I still have this cherished book.
#62
My aunt saved lots of the petals from the flowers my mum received when I was born and made her own dried flower petals. Then gave them to me in a jar for my 21st birthday with a letter explaining she’d kept them all these years later
#63
My bf surprised me for my birthday and made a cook book of every recipe I’ve sent him on Tik tok and insta and organized it from apps, entrees, desserts, etc. (I love cooking) and I cried
#64
The man I dated for a month made me a stamp for my pottery with the name i told him id name my business if i ever get good at it
#65
my husband gave me a rose from his brothers grave to keep in my car to “keep me safe” hasn’t left my car in 9 years.
#66
I told my high school bf that my favorite colour gobstoppers were green and he bought about 25 boxes to just pick out the greens and made me an entire box of green gobstoppers.
#67
I used to love it when my kids would bring me home cool rocks that they found..
I like rocks.
#68
One time my friend got me all of my favorite magazines but from the exact month and year I was born. Vanity Fair from Nov 1990 had Cher on the cover and I am a die hard Cher fan. She ate that.
#69
i told my bestfriend that all i wanted from her was a birthday card (shes not a super words-of-affirmation girl ((but i really am)) so she got me a deck of cards and wrote in each one for me. i cry everytime i think about it
#70
My boyfriend works in a mental health hospital as an activity therapist. A patient hand drew a picture of all my favorite singers and characters walking down abbey road. Didn’t cost him a penny and I balled my eyes out
#71
For my 15th birthday my best friend at the time got me 99 red balloons because I was obsessed with the song 99 red balloons. To this day, it was one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever recieved.
#72
My aunt gifted me a huge basket of gluten free snacks and baking ingredients when I first got diagnosed with celiac when I was 10 and was having a hard time transitioning
#73
When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.
My mom got me an amazing Wizard of Oz beach towel when I was about 5. One day it ended up in the wash with bleach, and the colors drastically faded. I was heartbroken.
Somehow, this random piece of information came up in conversation with one of my teachers. While I didn’t think anything of it, she filed it away in her brain, looked it up on eBay, MESSAGED MY MOM TO MAKE SURE IT WAS THE RIGHT ONE, and surprised me with it for Christmas.
The way I SOBBED when I opened it
#74
An ex-boyfriend wrote me a song and recorded it. To this day, one of the best gifts I’ve ever received! He passed away years later, but I still have the CD.
#75
On my 18th birthday my ex gave me a mirror. The frame was decorated with the photos of me from each age up until 18. The mirror was the continuation of this. I would see myself changing in it each year on.
#76
When I was living in Japan, I had a boy who was struggling academically but was incredible at art and I told his parents that they should nurture his creative side. When I left, he drew me a picture of a samurai and signed it. I was so touched and I’ve kept it 11 years later – I think it might be worth something in the future when he’s a famous artist.
#77
Was having a bad day, and really wanted to try crocheting. So while I was at work my bf went to the craft store and got me basic yarn, the hooks I needed, stitch markers and a beginner crochet book with some snacks for when I came home.
#78
Peaches on my birthday. I really liked them and no one had given me something I liked before
#79
My most prized gift is my name in sign language. I had a deaf friend and they told me that only a member of that community could “assign” a hearing person with a name. And when she did she gave me the reason why she gave said sign and I bawled. Sign names are so meaningful.
#80
For mothers day my daughter had my husband take her to the library and she picked out thriller books for me. She knows I love reading and the library and she even got me books in my favorite genre. I felt so seen.
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