6 Great Gift Ideas for the Receiving Gifts Love Language

The French dramatist Jean Anouilh said that love is, above all, the gift of oneself. But the truth is that all of us give differently—with our unique styles, as disparate and singular as the relationships that define and sustain each of us. Though love is universal, the way we express it tends to be more specialized and can be categorized as gift giving love languages.

Love languages were first created by famed marriage therapist and author Gary Chapman in his 1992 book, The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate. The book sold four times more than its publisher expected in that initial year, and has been on the New York Times bestseller list continuously since August 2009. Chapman clearly unearthed a need with his book, and many couples since have spent time determining their own love languages in order to better understand one another.

We'll dive more deeply into each love language, but know, before we go any further, that it's possible and indeed likely that you are fluent in more than one of the following: acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, and giving and receiving gifts (though we each do typically have a primary love language). The trick is to find your love language, as well as your partner's love languages—and if you have different love languages, to talk about where they intersect and how each of you best prefers to express love—and receive it.

We'll talk about each love language, but none more than the focus of this post: what we think is the unsung hero of the love languages, the language of gifts and receiving gifts. Oh, and if you want to find out right now, before you read any further, what your own love languages are? You can find a free online assessment right here .

The Other Four Love Languages

Acts of Service

Acts of service entails what its name implies: people who have acts of service as a love language just might have as their own personal motto that actions speak louder than words. These are the loved ones that will return your car with its gas tank filled or a trip through the car wash made, pick up a prescription, or make a meal to show you they love you.

Physical Touch

People who score high on a physical touch love language, meanwhile, would prefer to spend as much time as possible cuddling! This doesn't necessarily mean they're into over-the-top public displays of affection, but it does likely mean they are energized and fulfilled by holding hands, kissing, and hugging.

Words of Affirmation

Those who have the love language of words of affirmation need to hear how you feel—verbal compliments don't have to be sonnets, but they have to be given freely! (Also, never doubt the power of a simple "I love you.")

Quality Time

Just being around one another in a focused and intentional way is the desire of people who speak the quality time love language. For this love language, it is all about undivided attention, so put the phone down and get that QT on the schedule!

And the Reason We're Here: The Receiving Gifts Love Language

Personally, we think the gifts love language is slightly misunderstood. It is not necessarily materialistic! Instead, folks fluent in this language understand gifts as an expression of how much the person values and appreciates the other person. A gift love language partner can be made happy by something a simple as a small gift like a pint of their favorite ice cream after a long week—or a wildflower you picked that made you think of them, or some other trinket of sentimental value more than monetary value.

However, if you know that your partner has receiving gifts as their love language, and you want to be thoughtful in your gifting, you might be thinking about how to meet their needs via a little something extra special, too. That's where we come in!

Thoughtful Gifts for a Gifting-Oriented Love Language Partner

Remember that your gifting-oriented partner understands gifts as an expression of your appreciation for them, and how much they value you. That means that making sure your gift giving is thoughtful will go a long way toward building a love that lasts.

Start with these ideas:

• Just outside the home, keep your garden happy with My Garden Box, filled with live plants and everything else you need to make creative and crafty garden collections.
• Further outdoors, Hiker Crate offers snacks and adventure gear for the alpine-inclined.
• If you have a writer in your life, you could do no better than Scribbler , the only subscription box for writers.
• And if you love a game lover, why not try Finders Seekers , a do-it-yourself game room?
• To give the gift of laughter, consider the Smartass and Sass gift subscription box, filled each month with 5-7 items or a sassy shirt sure to inspire a chuckle.

No matter which you choose, your thoughtfulness will not be lost on your partner—and you can use the perfect gift to help build the unconditional love that comes from accepting one another exactly as you are. Happy gifting!

Looking for more gift ideas? See all our gift ideas for the person you love, whatever their love language, at the Gift Shop !