i once believed that gift cards to a retailer were stupid gifts because it was like giving someone cash while saying, “BUT – you can only spend it at this one store.” i argued that it was more efficient to just give cash to spent anywhere.

i later realized that if you give someone cash, they’ll use it to pay bills or something practical, but gifts are not about practicality. they’re supposed to be a way to spoil someone for a moment. if you give them cash, they have the option be practical.

if you know someone loves movies, give them a movie theater giftcard because it forces them to take a break from the world and go to a movie. if you know they love clothes, force them to go shopping for themselves with a card for a certain clothing store that you know they’d choose. it seems very impersonal, but it really does give them a chance to indulge themselves for a moment. maybe longer.