前陣子，聖誕節時，很多活動都在玩交換禮物，現在交換禮物有很多玩法，最簡單的就是，限定禮物金額，然後大家隨機交換，每人抽一個號碼或隨機選擇一份禮物，抽到禮物後，即完成交換，還有些活動，玩的是神秘交換，先提前抽籤，每人抽到一個名字，並為這個人準備一份禮物，在活動當天，交換禮物時讓對方猜猜是誰送的，製造活動的驚喜效果。
我一開始玩交換禮物時，還覺得蠻新奇好玩的，不過，玩了幾年之後，深深覺得挑選禮物真是一件麻煩事，送禮物的最佳原則，是要投其所好，但是在不知道受禮人是誰的情況下，要在合乎預算的範圍下，找到一個大家都可以接受的禮物，真的有些麻煩，會這樣說，是因為有時候在活動中，拿過一些不喜歡或無法用到的禮物，雖然我知道，都是大家精心挑選的好物，但是對我而言，就是無法使用。
那天在火車站剛好看到一家店外顏色鮮艷，店內人潮不少的小店，我在好奇心的驅使下，進去看看，店內空間不大，但是放置了角落小夥伴、三麗鷗、迪士尼、史努比、拉拉熊、嚕嚕米、蠟筆小新等人氣商品，看起來是代理這些品牌的店家，賣的應該是正版，剛好我正在煩惱著挑選禮物的事情，於是在店內逛了一圈，發現蠻多小玩意蠻適合做為交換禮物的選項，如迪士尼的正版蛙蛙，不過，價錢偏貴，正版的一定比較貴，而選項太多也讓我很難下定決心要選那一個，看起來，我有點選擇障礙，可能是因為適逢送禮旺季，店家還可幫顧客把禮物包裝精美，讓我們可以直接拿去送禮，真是一個貼心的服務啊，最後，我還是沒有找到我想要的禮物，但是，之後假如我要挑選小禮物時，我就知道可以在那裏挑選禮物了。
A while ago, during Christmas, there were so many events centered around gift exchanges. Nowadays, there are lots of ways to play. The simplest one is setting a price limit, and everyone randomly exchanges gifts. You either draw a number or just pick a gift at random, and once you get it, that’s the end of it. Another popular version is the "Secret Santa" style, where everyone draws a name beforehand, prepares a gift for that person, and during the event, you exchange gifts while letting the recipient guess who gave it to them. It’s a fun way to add some surprise to the activity.
When I first started doing gift exchanges, I thought it was fresh and exciting. But after a few years, I’ve realized how much of a hassle picking gifts can be. The best rule of gift-giving is to tailor the gift to the recipient’s taste. But when you don’t even know who’s getting the gift, finding something that fits the budget and pleases everyone is tough. I say this because I’ve occasionally received gifts that I didn’t like or couldn’t use. Even though I know they were carefully chosen by someone, they just weren’t practical for me.
The other day, I saw a small, brightly-colored shop near the train station that was bustling with people. My curiosity got the best of me, so I went in to check it out. The shop wasn’t very big, but it was packed with popular character merchandise like Sumikkogurashi, Sanrio, Disney, Snoopy, Rilakkuma, Moomin, and Crayon Shin-chan. It seemed like an official retailer, selling authentic products.
Since I was already stressing about finding the perfect gift, I took a good look around. I saw a ton of cute little items that would’ve been perfect for gift exchanges, like Disney’s official Frog plushies. But, as expected, authentic items are on the pricier side. Plus, with so many options, I couldn’t decide—I guess I have a bit of choice paralysis. Maybe it’s because it’s the holiday season, but the store even offered a gift-wrapping service, so you could just pick an item, get it wrapped beautifully, and be all set. That’s such a thoughtful service! In the end, I didn’t find the gift I wanted, but at least now I know where to go if I ever need to pick out some cute little presents in the future.
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