Thursday, June 17, 2010

Get Well Gifts

What Are Appropriate Get Well Gifts?

I try to be a thoughtful person, and when friend or loved one is sick or injured or in the hospital, I always try send them get well gifts, but the problem is that I am not always sure what is appropriate and inappropriate for the situation.

I have always found that flowers are a popular choice, especially if it is a woman who is sick, but there is a problem when sending flowers to another man. I have had male friends that were seriously ill, and I just could not bring myself to send them flowers to make him feel better. I am not sure what kind of message that would send.

I also had a female friend that had to miss several days of work because of severe allergies with the change of season, and we were all discussing possible get well gifts for her. I thought about flowers, but then wondered if that was such a good idea after all.

Another one like that is candy. Again, there is the issue of sending another man candy, but I also had a friend who had to have her wisdom teeth pulled in college and said the pain she had to endure was pretty intense. When thinking of possible get well gifts, I toyed with the idea of candy, then tried to imagine her actually trying to eat the candy and decided against that option.

One that I always thought was a good idea was a bottle of liquor. Most of my friends have a favorite type of Scotch or whiskey, or a particular kind of wine they drink. The only problem there is that a lot of medications cannot be taken with alcohol, so the person you are trying to cheer up would not even be able to enjoy the get well gift you are giving until they are already better!

I have thought about buying stuffed animals as get well gifts in the past, but the question then becomes at what age do they stop being appropriate? A teddy bear is fine for an eight- or nine-year old, but is it really something you would want to give an adult?

Balloons are another favorite among get well gifts, and while they are colorful and festive, I often think to myself, what's the point? I mean, what can a person honestly do with a balloon?

I finally figured out a fool-proof way of providing your friends and loved ones with get well gifts that are appropriate for almost any occasion, are easy to find and almost always appreciated. Get them a get well card with a gift card inside. The get well card lets them know that you are concerned about them and the gift card shows that you are trying to bring a little cheer into their lives. They will definitely be grateful.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent article on get well gifts! So much of the time, with our busy schedules seem we forget to send an uplifting gift.

    Get Well Gift Baskets

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