The tradition of giving gifts has existed in many nations since ancient times. The reasons for this and the ritual of giving could be completely different, but the principle remained unchanged. And always, among all peoples, an important rule was to give something important, dear to oneself. After all, when people of different cultures and languages meet, they still exchange some values as a sign of good intentions. Times pass and change, but this side of the ritual remains unchanged: the gift must be valuable.

And here I would like to immediately separate two things: the value and the cost of the object. These are far from the same, and not always interrelated concepts. Continuing to turn to history, we can recall that for the Mayan Indians, jewelry made of yellow metal hardly seemed more expensive than gunpowder guns. Another example described in the proverb is more suitable for our case: "One hundred grams, poured on time, are worth much more than the nominal value."

Regarding our topic, it is worth separating business gifts from simple, social gifts. If only because business presentations serve to build relationships, while social and friendly ones are a reflection of the situation that has already developed between people.

Now, returning to the question of the value of souvenirs, let me explain in a little more detail what, in addition to the price tag, it can consist of. And understanding this, I hope, will help you make a more conscious choice of a present next time, which you are not ashamed to give, and which someone will be pleased to receive. So, the value of any object as a gift consists, first of all, of its usefulness. This should include the purely utilitarian use of the thing (for example, dishes, a wallet, or a business card) and its appropriateness for the recipient. For example, if a friend is a passionate football fan, then a t-shirt of his favorite club or a branded ball will surely be a great gift for him, although it is not a fact that he will play with this ball. But here it is important to know the person himself well, his interests, hobbies, after all, to know what items he already has. Because the eighth super fishing rod in a row is probably not bad, but it is not very original and is unlikely to please a friend. And in business relations, people are not always close enough to know each other well.

One more note: when it comes to things that have a utilitarian meaning, the main thing is quality. It should be wonderful so that a person uses this thing for many years, remembering with a kind word the one who gave it to him. This is one aspect of the value of a gift.
The second is to make a useless thing as individual as possible, emphasizing in this way a sign of attention. Various subtleties and nuances are possible here. You can try to find a handmade item to know for sure that there simply cannot be another one like it in the world. If you give an exotic souvenir, you should make an effort to make it really rare; for example, an African drum (if you decide to give it) should really be from Africa and sound like it should. Another, or rather, universal option for making a gift individual is laser engraving. With its help, you can apply almost any image on almost any surface. So, all that remains is to turn on the imagination and come up with what you can write and draw on the thing itself or on the plate that will be attached to it.

Do not forget about the external effect that your gift will make. The brighter it (the effect) will be - the better. So that the recipient always wants to say, "Oh, this is what I have!" or so that his guests themselves pay attention to your present. That is, original souvenirs have their additional value. You can achieve it by simply spending more money, or you can - by spending a little of yourself, your time, thoughts, and attention. And rest assured that it will not go unnoticed. So, you can increase the value of the gift without increasing its cost.

P. Yutyaev