Product Description

An unusual and fabulously useful guide to getting the appropriate present for any occasion. By providing the symbology of gifts from cultures and religions around the world, a person can find the right gift to convey exactly the message the giver wishes to send.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1194112 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09-25
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

Customer Reviews

Learning the language of successful gift giving
If you're looking for a way to put more meaning into your gift giving, check out this invaluable resource! It demonstrates that a gift is more than just an object--it's the meaning and message behind the gift!

Author Deanna Washington defines the meanings behind hundreds of everyday items, ranging from plants, astrological signs, scents, animals, numbers, food and more. Simply determine the message you want to express with the gift and then look in the book for items that symbolize that meaning. Jot down a few ideas and head for the store!

As the publisher of a website on imaginative gift giving [URL], I'm always looking for ways to turn mundane items into memorable gifts. This book is already dog-eared with use!

Excellent Reference
I think this is a great reference book. If you have to give a gift for a wedding you can look in here and find something with meaning that isn't expensive. You can wrap it up prettily with a lovely little card explaining the meaning of the gift and you have a much appreciated gift. I am finding that it truly is the thought and not the cost. BUT- it must have much thought and love put into it. Hence, this book. This book is like having someone already do the thinking for you on the meaning. You just need to pick out which gift you like and which meaning you want to attach to it.

Sure you can run out and do some of this research for yourself, but would you? Do you have the time? Would you even think of 1/2 the ideas in this book? I wouldn't have the time nor would I remember what I did research so I'd be doing the same research over and over and over.

If you want a small token of friendship or an inexpensive but nice wedding gift or a expensive gift that has a lot of thought put into it, this is the book to get. It is well researched, well organized and well worth the money.

A Gift is Worth a Thousand Words, Make It Say Something
If you're stuck for a gift on a limited budget (or a generous budget) and you want to give a thoughtful gift that will be remembered long after the wrapping paper has been thrown away, check out Deanna Washington's "The Language of Gifts." Washington has written a resource guide cross-culturally researched and filled with meaning that pulls at your heartstrings, not at your purse. In the eight months since I purchased the book I've bought gifts for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, baby showers, weddings and now Christmas. None cost more than 10 dollars. And because I knew the "meaning" of the objects I chose, I could briefly explain the symbolism in the context of my relationship and my wishes for the recipient. Because of this book my motto now is, "a gift is worth a thousand words, make it say something." Anyone can give a gift that grabs the heart by using this book. It will help you express the deeper meaning and the emotions behind your gift, which helps create the richest bond of all, the bond of memories and emotions.