When I am enlisted to help find a gift, I am at my happiest as a retailer. It is like a riddle of sorts. To find an object that is unexpected, thoughtful, and meaningful.

These are the keys to the art of giving a great gift. 

1. Delight - the gift should create a moment of joy and happiness for the receiver 

2. Thought - it should be clear that this gift was considered and that time was given in the process

3. Meaning - the gift should speak to the uniqueness of the receiver and the relationship you have with that person 

These three things apply wether the gift is for a dear friend, the host of a dinner party you barely know, or a teacher at your child’s school. In varied degrees of course! 

Over the holidays I have a client who trusts me to come up with perfect presents for a short list of the most important people in their life. Making sure to hit all of the points above, I pull together a tight edit of suggestions. It works like a charm. 

One of my favorite gifts I helped to find was for the birthday of a person, who was a new friend of my client, was quite a bit older, and had grown up with the privilege and considerable weight of being part of a historic lineage. 

I suggested a delicate and modern bud vase by Marc Jacobs, with an acorn that had grown roots and sprouted one beautiful leaf. It was an object I had brought into the shop from home as a bit of greenery. And it ended up being the perfect present in it’s refined simplicity and natural beauty.

"The purpose of life is to find your gift. The meaning of life is to give it away." Pablo Picasso 

Picasso is talking about a different kind of gift giving. I love this quote because it speaks to the very nature of giving. Giving of yourself, your ideas and creativity, and love. 

- Patrick Bradbury, Proprietor Tuxedo Park Junk Shop