Why last year's gift is so easy to forget
Choosing a present takes thought; giving it takes a moment. Once the wrapping paper is gone, the gift blends into the rest of the year. Twelve months on, you remember that the evening was nice, but not whether the scarf was for your aunt or your neighbour.
It matters most with the people you give to every year: a partner, parents, children, siblings, godchildren, close friends. With them, it is easy to repeat a gift by accident or to lose track of a little tradition you started.
What to write down after the day
A gift history doesn't need to be long. A few lines for each occasion are enough:
- What you gave. In plain words, with a detail if it helps: “the blue notebook she picked out in the shop”.
- The date and the place. Dinner at home, a picnic in the park, a weekend away.
- How it went. Whether the present was a hit, what made everyone laugh, who came.
- A photo, if you took one. A picture often brings back more than a sentence.
Write it the same day or the day after, while you still remember. A week later, the details are already fading.
Look back before you choose again
The history is useful when you open it before the next date. A quick look shows what you gave the last time, so you can avoid repeating it — or repeat it on purpose, if it became a tradition. It also brings back how you celebrated, which helps when you plan this year's day.
Ideas for the next present are a separate list: things people mention through the year. How to keep them is covered in our gift ideas list article. The history looks back; the ideas list looks ahead.
Keep a gift history in Family Errands
In Family Errands, each birthday record has a celebration block. The full setup of birthdays and reminders is in the birthday reminder app guide; here is the part about looking back:
Open the person's birthday
If they aren't on your list yet, add them with their date first.
Fill in the celebration
The celebration block holds the date, a place on the map, the gift, a note and photos.
Add your impressions after the day
Add a reminder a day after the birthday: it asks you to add your thoughts about the celebration. Write a few words while the day is fresh.
Find it next year
Then move it to the celebration history, so next year you can see what was given last time.
Check the age in the countdown
The birthday shows how many days are left and, if you saved the year, how old the person is turning.
The same record works for wedding anniversaries and any other yearly date, so the history of anniversary gifts can be kept the same way. To share a birthday, tap the avatars of the family members you give presents with: a shared birthday is visible and editable for everyone it's shared with.
Questions
How do I remember what gifts I gave someone?
Write a short note after each occasion under that person's name: what you gave, when and how it went. In Family Errands, the celebration block in their birthday record holds the gift, a note and photos, and you can move it into the celebration history.
Is it fine to give the same gift twice?
That is up to you and the person. Some gifts become a welcome tradition, others are better not repeated. A record of past gifts lets you choose either way on purpose.
What should a gift history include?
The gift, the date, the place and a line about how it went. A photo helps too. Keep it short so you actually write it down after each occasion.
