Feng Shui Gift Giving Advice

If you are looking for those perfect holiday, Christmas, or Hanukkah gifts for your family and friends, be careful what you choose because your gifts may have hidden meaning in Feng Shui terms. Here are my top five Feng Shui holiday gift giving "dos and don'ts," plus five gifts to give yourself to take into the New Year.

Feng Shui Gift Giving Dos and Don'ts #1:
Avoid giving an empty wallet, purse, or briefcase because it represents the lack of prosperity. Instead do give a new red wallet filled with cash to send the message that your gift will always be overflowing with wealth for the recipient.

Feng Shui Gift Giving Dos and Don'ts #2:
Avoid giving knives or sharp objects because these represent cutting a relationship. Instead, do give a gift card and a picture of the object. If you receive a sharp object as a gift, hand over a coin to the giver to symbolize that you bought the object, and restore the bond between you.

Feng Shui Gift Giving Dos and Don'ts #3:
Avoid giving cactus, spiky plants, and roses with the thorns still on the stems because they symbolize piercing a relationship. Instead, do give a living plant, especially one with rounded leaves in a red pot to symbolize prosperity. If you receive roses be sure to remove the thorns to symbolize a smooth romance or relationship.

Feng Shui Gift Giving Dos and Don'ts #4:
Avoid giving bonsai trees or other miniature plants because they symbolize stunted growth wherever you locate them. Instead, give wind chimes to attract positive energy to any location.

Feng Shui Gift Giving Dos and Don'ts #5:
Avoid giving gifts that show time, like clocks and watches, because they symbolize stealing time and a limited life span. Instead, do give precious stones to help attract health and longevity - like turquoise for healing, amber to protect health, hematite to enhance memory and concentration.

The Feng Shui of Regifting
I am often asked how Feng Shui principles view re-gifting. Re-gifting is definitely Feng Shui-friendly because it removes things you don't want from your home and sends them to a place where they are welcome. Just be sure to avoid re-gifting if you have negative feelings about the gift or its original giver, since you might be passing along your negative thoughts to the next recipient.