Excited little daughter greeting young dad with birthday

Receiving Gifts Love Language: The Definitive Guide (2024)

ByKaitlyn Treece

How do you express your love towards the people who are important to you? Each person has their own love language, a special way of showing our love, appreciation, and gratitude towards the people we care about, and a precious way of fostering healthy relationships with them.

There are five love languages, and one of them is the receiving gifts love language. People who speak this love language express their love and appreciation by giving thoughtful gifts and they feel special whenever they receive presents from their partners or from the people they care about.

What is Receiving Gifts?

The love language gifts us with the idea that each person is unique, even in expressing our love and adoration towards our partners, kids, family, and friends. According to Gary Chapman, there are five love languages, and one of them is the Gift Giving love language. 

It is natural for people to get gifts for their loved ones during special occasions, like birthdays and anniversaries, but people who speak this love language do not need any occasions to make something special for the people they love or to appreciate the gift you get for them for no apparent reason. 

For people with receiving gifts love language, gifts hold sentimental values – the time and effort you put into the gift and the thought that you are also thinking of them even in the smallest and simplest of things. 

But the most interesting part about this love language is that it doesn’t end with gifts that are materialistic. There are always feelings and emotions attached to every item you give to your loved ones, and that makes it even more special.

Examples of Gift Giving Love Language

You might think that receiving gifts love language is hard because it involves ideas on which presents to give to your partner or kids and the fact that it can be time-consuming. But, the truth is, this love language doesn’t always have to be complicated. 

  • For example, you happen to be walking down the street and you saw a flower shop. You remember that your partner likes the smell of daisies, so you decided to buy some flowers. 
  • Or perhaps your partner is feeling a bit down lately because of stress at work, so you cooked their favorite meal and gave them a massage. 
  • Maybe you’re scrolling through an online shop and you see a cute dress for your daughter.  You think that it will look good on her, so you bought it for her.

Oftentimes, we feel like we always have to buy expensive gifts, wrap them in a pretty wrapper, and wait for a special occasion or the perfect moment to give it to them. 

But if your loved ones’ love language is receiving gifts, you won’t have to worry about any of that. 

For them, once they received gifts from you or from anyone who they care about, it will immediately make them feel special in all the ways you can ever imagine.

Key Factors of Gift Giving

There are a lot of misconceptions revolving around the receiving gifts love language. Some may think that gift giving always involves money; that people who speak this love language are materialistic, demanding, and greedy, while others think that gifts are only necessary during special occasions. While these may be true with some people, it’s important to know that these are not always the case.

Price Tag Doesn’t Matter

In this love language giving gifts are not always about the brand and the price of the item you’re giving to your loved one. In receiving a gift, people who speak this love language often appreciate the feelings and emotions attached to the gift and not the material itself. 

Yes, they may like the gift, but the idea that you were thinking about them and that you know them very well are what makes it even more special.

If you are going to give your partner a gift, it’s vital that you choose something that would make them feel like you made the time and exerted an effort and not just made a drastic decision of getting a gift just because you had to.

It’s necessary to always remember that in this love language gift giving is not just about the act of giving gifts, but it’s about the important things and details you considered before getting that gift. 

It’s always the simple things, like getting them a cute bookmark because you remembered their love for books, or buying merchandise that is inspired by their favorite TV show. 

It doesn’t always have to be branded and expensive. As long as you know that the gift you’re about to give will mean something to them and would make them feel special, then you’re good to go. That’s the simple love language of gifts.

Gifts Can Be Experiences 

Sometimes, people think that the only gifts that matter are material things, but the truth is, your gifts for significant others don’t always have to be belongings. 

In life, the most precious gift a person can offer to their loved ones are experiences and memories that will last longer than the material things they could possibly offer. 

Material things will get old, out of trend, and boring, but the memories you make with the people you love are priceless. 

Years from now, when the material gifts you gave your loved ones are no longer available, they can always go back to the time you spent together, the laughter you shared together, and the memories you made together.

Gifts Don’t Need a Special Occasion

Special occasions are a nice excuse to get our loved ones a gift, but we don’t necessarily need any occasion to do so. People who speak this love language will feel even more special and loved if they receive a gift on a normal day.

It will make them feel like you were thinking of them, and that you care about them. Giving flowers on a special occasion such as birthdays, anniversaries, or milestones are great, but have you tried giving your partner flowers on a random day just because you thought about her on your way home? 

Or did you buy your loved one a scarf while you were in the mall because you remembered that he lost his scarf a few days ago? 

Every day, whether it’s a special day or not, you can go out of the way and do something special for your loved one. Not only will they feel special, but they will feel loved even on the simplest days, especially if receiving gifts is their love language.

Never Miss a Gift-Giving Occasion

One of the most important things to remember when your loved one’s love language is receiving gifts is to never miss any occasion that requires gift-giving. Not because they will feel sad for not being able to open any gift, but because they will feel like they are not special and worthy enough of your time and effort. 

Of course, a lot of factors can cause you to forget about important occasions, like your hectic schedule at work or your tendency to be forgetful at times, but there are several things you can do to avoid it from happening. 

You can set a reminder, you can write it down on your calendar or your journal, you can stick it in your refrigerator – whatever works best for you. If you’re setting an alarm as a reminder, make sure to allow enough time to think about the best present you can give to your loved one.

Detecting Gift Giving Love Language

Detecting if you are or the people you love speak the receiving gifts love language is actually easy. You can do it by observing their facial expressions and behavior after you hand them a gift. 

Did their face light up? Did they smile from ear to ear? Did they give you a hug or a kiss? If they did, then their love language is probably receiving gifts. 

People with this love language can also show their happiness and enthusiasm about the gift by putting the item on display, talking to their family and friends about it nonstop, using or wearing it almost all the time. 

On the other hand, if their reaction isn’t too happy or excited, or if they seem embarrassed, then it’s most likely that their love language is not receiving gifts. 

The same goes for you. If you’re highly enthusiastic whenever your loved ones give you gifts, then you might be one of the people who have the receiving gifts love language. 

Additionally, if you are someone who likes to give gifts after hearing about what your partner or kids want or need, then it might be a sign. 

The problem here is that adults have the tendency to fake their happiness and enthusiasm for the sake of not hurting their loved ones after receiving a gift. It’s a tough deal, but the eyes will always tell the truth. 

Kids, on the contrary, are easier to determine because they don’t pretend. If your kid shows pure joy and doesn’t put your gift on the side, then your kid probably speaks the receiving gifts love language.

Your Love Language is Gift Giving

You probably realized just now that your love language is receiving gifts, but you have no idea what to do about it. There are a lot of receiving gifts love language ideas out there, but the first thing you can probably do now is to identify how it can strengthen your relationships with your loved ones. 

You can communicate your wants and needs to your partner by sharing your love language with them. It’s true that giving gifts in a relationship is essential to keep the bond strong, but knowing about your love language will give your relationship the opportunity to grow and develop even further. 

Communicating your needs with one another will help you determine how to make each other feel more special and loved throughout your journey together. 

But you also have to take a closer look at your partner’s actions towards you because gifts are not always seen in material things. 

If this is your love language gifts ideas are everywhere and in the simplest gesture of care and love. This kind of gift-giving in relationships is even more precious because it doesn’t revolve around material things.

How to Receive Gifts?

People with this love language know how special gifts are not just in terms of money, but most significantly in its sentimentality. 

This is why receiving gifts also means a lot to them, because from their own perspective, as someone who speaks this love language, the time, though, and effort exerted in the gifts they get are truly the most precious part of receiving it. 

If you are someone with this kind of love language, take the time to appreciate your partner or your loved ones for going out of the way to meet your needs. 

These people may or may not have the same love language as you, but regardless of what they speak, receiving what we want or need is still as precious as giving out to others.

Your Partner Love Language is Gift Giving

If your partner speaks the love language of receiving gifts, you might worry that this will involve lots of money. 

The truth is, you won’t have to worry about that because it may not be as simple as the other love languages, but there are a lot of things you can do to make your partner feel loved and special. 

There is definitely a reason why gifts are important in a relationship – it gives the feeling of being important, of being seen and heard, of being worthy of your partner’s time and effort – and these reasons alone may give you an idea that even without expensive gifts, you can still achieve the goal of making your partner feel loved.

How to Do Gift Giving for Your Partner?

For those who speak this love language, giving and receiving gifts are almost the same. Both give them a sense of happiness, but it is in giving that gives them a sense of pride. 

If your love language is receiving gifts, you probably know the euphoria associated with planning, picking, and creating a gift for someone special. 

Creating a personalized gift is even more appealing because then you’ll be able to give the other person the idea that you know them very well and that you were thinking of them while making the gift. 

You can also ground your gift according to the occasion and pick a pretty wrapper to go along with it. You can have fun and be more creative in the process of gift-giving.

Your Child Love Language is Gift Giving

You’re probably wondering if the five love languages are only applicable and relevant to grown-ups. Well, the answer to that is even kids have their own preferences on how they want to express love and how they want to receive it. 

But just like grown-ups, kids who speak the receiving gifts love language also find happiness and worth in the gifts they receive from their loved ones, most especially from their parents. 

The Gift-giving meaning is actually deeper and has more impact on them because they will bring it with them until they grow old. 

To be able to receive love the way they want to can actually help them to develop well, not just emotionally but also cognitively.

Gift Giving for Kids

Gift giving for kids is actually pretty simple. You can give them gifts according to their age; you can buy them toys they will enjoy; you can buy their basic necessities like their favorite food, nice and cute clothing, or medicines. 

But then again, it’s not just about material things. As much as they love receiving gifts, giving your time to them is actually more important. 

You can spend your time with them by playing with their favorite toys together, you can go to the zoo or the park on the weekends, you can do fun projects together, go on a picnic – the list goes on and on.

The importance of gift-giving for children is that at a very young age, they will know and understand the concept of love – that there are ways on how to express it, and one of which is by showing to them that we care and love them through simple gifts and by making memories with them.

List of Gift Giving Ideas

Oftentimes, you might find it hard to think of a gift for someone you love, and it’s normal. You put in a lot of time overthinking of what’s the best gift you can give, or if they will like the present you got for them. But remember that the gift-giving love language meaning lies in the thought, time, and effort you exerted.

In giving a gift to your loved ones, you might consider asking this question, “what is a gift I can give them that will make them feel special and loved?” Below are simple love gift ideas that you often overlook or missed, but in reality are already right in front of you.

For Partners

  • Go out on a date even if it’s not your partner’s birthday or your anniversary
  • Plan activities every weekend that your partner will surely love
  • Cook your partner’s favorite meal
  • Buy something for your partner that can be useful for his/her favorite hobby
  • Bring souvenirs for your partner after getting back from a trip
  • Organize a relaxing time for your partner at least twice a month
  • Make breakfast in bed from time to time
  • Create a scrapbook that showcases your memories together
  • Ask what they need and buy it from the grocery store
  • Fix something from your partner’s house or apartment that will make his/her life easier and better, like changing the air conditioning unit if it’s broken, or placing a cabinet somewhere where he/she can organize his/her things

For Kids

  • Plan a trip with your kids where they can make fun memories and experience new adventures
  • Research fun activities and do it together like planting vegetables and fruits in the backyard or baking cookies
  • Do a project together where they can acquire new skills and tap into their inner creative self – it can be as simple as making scrapbooks together or as complex as building a house for their dog
  • Buy them a bike and teach them how to ride it, or buy them an instrument and teach them how to play it – you can buy anything as long as it will give you an opportunity to spend quality time with them
  • Be sure to define gift that will give them the feeling of being special like making personalized gifts for them such as a bracelet with their name on it or a picture frame with their favorite picture in it
  • Buy something for them that will make them feel comfortable, like a thicker blanket to keep them warm at night or new gloves so they can play with the snow outside
  • Give them a gift that can help them express themselves and their creativity like a drawing pad or a stationery
  • Ask them what they want to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and spend some time cooking their requests. If they want food from a certain restaurant, order what they want and make sure to eat together
  • Get them something that will help them practice their favorite sport like a baseball bat, a basketball ring, or a tennis racket
  • Buy them toys that are educational and interactive so you can play with them and teach them at the same time

For Yourself 

  • Buy a journal or a planner where you can organize your thoughts and practice gratitude
  • Get yourself rewards for every achievement or accomplishment – it can be as simple as buying your favorite drink or getting yourself that book you’ve always wanted to read
  • Replace that old microwave or lamp and get yourself a new one – it’s not impulsive buying if you really need it and you’ve been waiting for a really long time to buy it
  • Buy self-care products like a face mask, bath bomb, or whatever it is that will help you practice taking care of yourself
  • Research about DIY projects you can do at home that you will surely enjoy
  • Make a list of all the things you’ve always wanted to do and make time in accomplishing it
  • Visit that place or country you’ve always wanted to visit and don’t forget to bring home some souvenirs and record your memories by taking pictures or videos of your new adventures
  • Learn new things or acquire new skills by enrolling in that cooking class or yoga class – anything that peaks your interest and you’ll surely love
  • Buy champagne or even just your favorite day to day food and spend some much needed “me time”
  • Buy only the things that you need and love and don’t spend money on things you can’t afford or things that you won’t be using at all

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