We asked gift givers to tell us about a time where they went above and beyond to make a loved one smile, laugh, or feel extra, extra special. Here's what they shared:
"My friend thought she looked dorky in a helmet, so (much to my concern) she would never wear one while riding her bike. As a remedy to this, I glued a blonde wig to the top of a helmet and gave it to her as a gift so it would just look like she had big, beautiful, extra-voluminous hair while biking. Safe and glamorous."
—Spencer B.
"One of the first conversations my fiancé and I had was about how he had always wanted a large portrait of himself, like the kind a gentleman would have in his study over his fireplace.
"For our first Christmas, I commissioned a portrait of him with jets flying overhead. I will never live up to it."
—Emily S.
"Last year for Christmas, my 12 cousins and I had the idea to make our grandparents a scrapbook of photos and memories. Each one of us wrote out our favorite moments growing up with them, from raiding G-ma's candy drawer to hearing Grandpa's stories. It felt really special that we were all able to work on it together and present it to them at Christmas, despite a lot of us being older and away from home."
—Dan T.
"My husband loves ESPN's documentary series 30 for 30, so I borrowed the name and gave him 30 little gifts on the 30 days leading up to his 30th birthday. I made cards, each containing a clue as to what gift he was about to open. I know it sounds like a LOT, but all the items were small, and most were inside jokes between us or something sentimental. I also had our families get involved, so he received things from the people who have been most important to him for the past 30 years.
"It was a total success and made each day leading up to the big three-oh a little more fun, and a little less scary!"
—Kate S.
"I once had a girlfriend who was a big fan of Southern literature, a fiction writer, and had expressed interest in a typewriter as a creative tool. So I went on eBay and bought her a vintage Olivetti Lettera 32 typewriter in powder blue, the same model and color that Cormac McCarthy wrote his first 12 novels on. The typewriter was in mint condition and for a fraction of market value, which I was especially proud of because I was exceedingly poor at the time. Despite my meager budget, I was able to get her something I knew she'd love, and a collector's item that would appreciate in value."
—James L.
"My sister went abroad to South Africa one semester when she was in college. On the Christmas before she left, I gave her a journal to take with her to write down her thoughts and adventures. But this was no ordinary journal! It was also filled with photos, notes, and well-wishes from our entire extended family, sending her love and luck as she went on her journey. When she brought it back, it was filled with her writing!"
—Sarah E.
"My two close friends who were living together had a fire in their building and were forced to evacuate immediately, with only a short amount of time to save whatever could be salvaged. They were obviously very shaken up after the whole thing, so as a housewarming gift for their new apartment, I painted them an elephant as a symbol of strength."
—Tara P.
"For my parents' 30th anniversary, my sisters and I wrote and framed a list for them titled '30 Lessons Our Parents Have Taught Us About Marriage.' The list ranged from funny to ridiculous to serious to heartwarming things, but they all demonstrated how much we respect and are inspired by my parents' amazing marriage.
"The framed list is now hanging front and center in their living room. A much more special gift than a dinner for two, in my opinion!"
—Tory G.
"My parents moved to Florida in August of 2014, and my mom was having a really hard time because she missed my sister and myself so much. So, for Christmas last year, I got all our faces printed on a big fleece blanket. I did it sort of as a gag, but when we saw how much it meant to her, it was very emotional."
—Ashley C.
"For my friend's birthday, he wanted to go check out Coney Island, but we only had an hour. As my gift to him, I put together a photo scavenger hunt, which meant we could spend that hour taking photos of ourselves doing our favorite things! We ended up riding the Ferris wheel, eating funnel cake, and making a ton of new friends. The best part? It didn't cost me a dime."
—Jen W.
"On my wedding day, I gave my bridesmaids necklaces engraved with the phrase 'time to time time,' which is a phrase we like to say that basically means time is an abstract thing. They loved them and all wore them as they marched down the aisle."
—Lily A.
