A few years ago, I had the opportunity to dialog with a young lady about a gift receiving experience she had. She remembered it well, but for the wrong reasons. Her beau stepped away from the expected gift of the moment and opted for something he thought she would like better. Needless to say, his attempts did more to harm his relationship than help it. Hence, my communicating to you the practicality of sticking with what has worked for decades. In your attempts to build your relationships, the last thing you want is to show that you have no real insight to your partner's likes or dislikes. The customary gift of the occasion is what I call a "safe gift". Valentines day for example: The customary flowers, candy, balloons, bears, jewelry; these are all presentable and expected gifts. Though bland for some tastes, it's safe to say you wont be at the receiving end of a frying pan for giving that type of gift. And ladies are safe with the shirt and tie combo or some electrical tool thingy. These types of gifts tend to sap relationships of their spontaneity, but they keep the chimney open for any future sparks that will start a blaze in the ole relationship fire. But the mishandling of a gift presentation moment, no matter how sincere it may be, can douse any relationship fire.
A stray from the norm gift has the potential to do great good for your companionship, but no matter the gift, make sure a reason why and a sincere heart felt stating of your love and devotion is what prompted your choice of gift for them. But just presenting a non-customary gift with no explanation is treading in dangerous waters. Those types of gifts are best given further on in the mature stage of your relationships. At that stage, you should have conveyed your genuine self to your partner, and they can interpret the gift based on prior engagements with you. Some of us are just too eccentric in our tastes and too unable to express the true nature behind our actions even when given the opportunity to explain our course of action. Therefore, we should stray away from any early attempts at wooing our suitors with extraordinary gifts. The best possible gift to give a new partner is a word gift that states what you want to get across to your companion; whether it be a friendly gesture, or something more intimate. The reason why a word gift is always appropriate is it allows the receiver to react to the real you rather than what they think you are trying to say with any other kind of gift. Some people have food allergies, so a food gift may not be appropriate. Some people are allergic to certain plants, that can be risky. Others may feel certain gifts are too pricey for the time frame of the relationship. But there can be no mistaking of sincere words.
Regardless to what type of gift you give, remember that nothing says, "I love you," better than stating from the heart, "I love You." Tangible gifts have their place, but without the accompanying words, they come across as appeasement's; relationship pacifiers. And in closing, never forget that the customary gift may be a "safe gift," but with the right sentiments behind it, it becomes the gift fond memories are made of.