20+ Gifts That Prove It’s the Thought That Truly Counts

Sometimes a gift is not just an item in a box tied with a ribbon. It’s the attention, care, or memory of the person who put a piece of their soul into it. Often, gifts like this are more valuable to us because they carry the feelings of the giver. In this article, there are stories about those very gifts that became something more than just a surprise. They remind us: the main thing about a gift is not its price, but the emotions it brings.

My brother and dad pitched in to buy my mom one of these bad boys. It was the best gift of all to see her so happy and excited about it.

I made these gnomes as a gift for my husband’s family. They are made from the shirts of my late father-in-law. He loved Christmas and plaid clothing.

• What a wonderful idea to honor his memory. They are so cute! © Nibordine / Reddit

When you can’t believe your luck

• On the day I turned 9 years old, I brought various treats to school, and during recess, we rushed outside because the weather was nice. I ran into my mom, who had come to the school to take some papers. Apparently, she didn’t expect to meet me, so she said:
  — Well, since I ran into you, I’ll give you your present now!
  In eager anticipation, I followed her to the car. Mom led me to the back seat and pointed through the glass:
  — Here, this is for you!
  — A plush toy?
  I had spent so much time tearfully begging for a puppy, and they got me a toy dog. I was devastated... Mom saw my disappointment.
  — Well, at least open the door and take it with you, show it to the kids at school.
  I pulled the handle and then this toy jumped up and rushed toward me, wagging its tail!
  — It’s alive! It’s alive!
  I didn’t want to let it go for a second: ginger, beautiful, my dog! I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday. We celebrated 14 of my — or rather our — birthdays together. I loved her and still do, tremendously! The day she came into my life was the happiest day of my life. © algida / Pikabu

This is my wife. Once she dated a guy who sold her favorite guitar. She missed it a lot... and I gave her a new one. My wife is so happy!

It’s never too late for a good gift.

• I grew up in a large, not-so-well-off family, where there were always a bunch of kids for one Barbie. The neighbor girls, who were better off, always had chic, neat dolls, and I envied them so much!
  Then I grew up, got married, and on one of my birthdays, something clicked, and I asked my sister for a doll as a gift. She understood me 100% and gave me an amazing Barbie. My goodness, I almost took that doll to bed with me — I liked it that much!
  And that longing finally passed. I recently found that doll while sorting through my things in the closet. I’ll give it to my daughter when she grows up. © Sovunja77 / Pikabu

My grandma has given me this gift bag every Christmas for 20 years officially.

A good husband always finds a way to make his wife happy.

• Many years have passed, but I remember how my husband once congratulated me. Those were very difficult times for us, we didn’t ask anyone for help, and our family didn’t even know we had problems.
  He came back from his shift, and as a gift, he recited a beautiful poem to me. Even though I know he never liked learning poems. I was incredibly surprised and happy at that moment!
  Now we can give each other a lot for any occasion or no reason at all, but somehow the intangible gifts are the most precious of all. © Bambolina / Pikabu

Here’s the beautiful gift my daughter made for me for Father’s Day.

Now that’s romance!

• I work in the credit department of a bank. A young woman comes in today, and I ask, “How can I help?” She says, “I’m waiting for my boyfriend, he asked me to come.”
  Then her boyfriend walks in with flowers and says, “I have a birthday present for you! Let me pay off your loan today!” They sat down with me, wrote the application, he paid the amount, and we closed the loan. Romance isn’t dead in our time! © Argyntina19 / Pikabu

I’ve been hiding something from my husband all year. But on Christmas, all secrets are revealed... I saved money in this piggy bank all year and gifted it to my spouse. He’s so happy!

• You’re simply amazing! © KarlTalks / Reddit

Never thought I would fulfill my dream of holding a baby sloth in my arms. But my sister was able to arrange it and give me this best gift ever!

Someone has a great mother-in-law.

• For my 30th birthday, my mother-in-law gave me a cheap teapot from the market. I won’t lie, I was disappointed. I thanked her, smiled, and shoved it in a cabinet.
  5 years later, we started renovating. I pulled it out, opened the lid, and my jaw dropped. There was a small fortune inside. And she never even hinted about it! An excellent gift, and right on time.

Our neighbors keep chickens. Recently, they surprised us by gifting us these eggs. Oh, we’re so lucky to have neighbors like this!

Moms will be Moms.

• Once, 30 years ago, my mom gave me a song for my birthday. She requested it on the radio — she wrote a letter to them, and on that day, she turned on the radio and said that they were going to congratulate me!
  The broadcast began, and my birthday message was the very first one. A woman announcer read the greeting to me in a gentle voice and played the song. Even as a kid, I understood perfectly well that my mom didn’t have money for a gift because we were poor, but I still hugged her, kissed her, and said, “Mom, thank you so much for this unusual gift! It means a lot to me! I love you so very much!” © Paren1ok / Pikabu

I was inspired by a photo from my friends’ engagement and made them this wedding gift.

• Well, this is simply amazing! Let’s be friends? Please! © pingu-bruno / Reddit

My husband gave me this gift. Now I don’t feel like going to work at all!

Women know how to surprise.

• The 3 coolest gifts of my life came from women: 2 from an ex-girlfriend, and one from my current wife. The first 2 were books.
  I really wanted a specific encyclopedia, but it wasn’t available in our country. My girlfriend found the author through social media, and the book with the autograph arrived on my birthday via airmail. It’s hard to imagine my level of excitement.
  The second book was also unavailable, and my girlfriend had it printed through acquaintances at a printing house, even typesetting it herself, which I had no idea about. So, I received a book with a print run of just one copy. I’m afraid to imagine the amount of effort and money that went into it.
  My daughter broke my mug, so I asked my wife for a mug with The Witcher game symbols for my birthday. I thought I’d get a typical one from a souvenir shop. My wife decided otherwise, the result is in the photo below. © Destreza / Pikabu

Told my parents that I would still enjoy a LEGO set at 24. Received the best Christmas gift ever!

The best gift

• When I turned 3 years old, I received the best gift in the world — a drum. I was beside myself with joy and demonstrated my musical skills to my parents almost around the clock. To their credit, they lasted 3 months, and then my friend’s birthday came up, and my parents suggested giving him my drum.
  My friend was thrilled to receive the drum. I was happy to give such a cool gift. My parents were happy because the house became quiet. For some reason, only my friend’s mom was upset. © lisaizlesa / Pikabu

I just gave my mother-in-law a painting, and she’s thrilled!

It’s so nice to be a fairy godmother for your own mom!

• I asked my mom, “Did you write a letter to Santa Claus? What gift did you ask?” My mom is 66 years old, an active and athletic retiree who has everything: gadgets, home appliances, jewelry...
  I couldn’t come up with a gift idea. Mom replied, “In my childhood, Santa Claus would put a sweet gift under the Christmas tree for kids. So let it be like in the old days!”
  And I latched onto this idea. I bought some sweets and printed out what gifts looked like in the early 60s on a color printer. My daughter worked hard, wrapping a paper bag with these printouts.
  We filled it with chocolates, foil-wrapped nuts, tangerines, and cookies.
  Mom, Merry Christmas! I love you very much! © missisissi / Pikabu

And these gifts made an everlasting impression. Check them out.