Inspirational gifts without religious preference. When buying an inspirational gift for someone without knowing their religious faith or belief, use something like a dove to show peace rather than a religious symbol like a crucifix, angel, or rosary.
Inspirational gifts are meant to lift spirits and,obviously,to inspire. However, it's entirely possible that those things the giver feels are uplifting and inspirational about his gift may be totally lost on the recipient. There is even the chance that the recipient could feel offended by the religious nature of the gift. It can be very difficult to give an inspiring message without also delivering a religious message along with it and the gift-giver needs to keep this pitfall in mind while shopping and choosing their gift.
"When buying an inspirational gift, you should always consider the recipient carefully," according to Steve Shadrick, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, and Judith Vap, Marketing Communications Manager, for Inspirations.com. "You need to either be familiar with their faith or belief, or you need to be looking for your gift as more of an inspirational design rather than a religious design.
"If the recipient is of a similar faith, there are images that are consistent across a wide variety of faiths. Something like an angel or dove is very universal within the Christian faith. A crucifix or a rosary would be more specific to Catholicism," they said. So, the gift-giver should pay careful attention to both the intended message and the elements of the gift itself.
"Inspirational gifts can be appropriate for a wide variety of occasions and people. You don't necessarily have to know the person or specifically what religion they are to send an inspirational gift. Inspiration can be much lighter or show sentiments like 'peace on earth.'"
It's definitely possible to inspire with no religious message at all. For example, in a serious vein, the recipient might enjoy a sunset photograph or beach scene captioned with a thoughtful and insightful quote, like this ancient bit of wisdom from Confucius: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Another very popular and inspiring quote comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn," and would be a perfect accompaniment to a picture of a tree or a forest grove.
Or, for a more humorous gift, a picture of an amazing or unusual scene demonstrating some bit of advice. One very popular image showed railroad crews scratching their heads because the tracks they were laying aren't lining up, and was captioned with "Proper planning prevents mistakes!"
One of the best inspirational quotes is perfect for images of unique and exceptional people. "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist," according to Henry David Thoreau.
Celtic knots convey meaning, while adding beauty, charm and sophistication to any décor.
Scented candles are an inspirational gift that almost anyone will enjoy. Research aromatherapy to find a candle that will help relax, rejuvenate and inspire your recipient.
If all else fails, there is always the old stand-by image of a kitten hanging from a tree branch with "Hang In There!" across the scene.
Regardless of the occasion, and no matter the faith of the gift giver or the recipient, it is always possible to send an inspirational gift that carries little or no religious message at all.
