You know that warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you give someone a gift? The electrifying excitement that comes when you see their eyes glisten, smile widen, and hear them exclaim in joy is a satisfying experience. In addition, the powerful benefits of gift-giving have a positive impact on your health.
So, what are the health benefits of giving someone else a gift? It is more than just a warm feeling. Your body experiences measurable benefits that can boost your physical and mental health. These benefits include:
Measurable Health Benefits of Giving Gifts
- lower blood pressure
- increased self-esteem
- decreased depression
- lower stress levels
- greater happiness and satisfaction
There is scientific evidence that gift-giving releases “feel-good” chemicals in our brain that account for positive feelings and excitement. The brain secretes dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, which are all known as mood-enhancing chemicals. Who knew giving a gift gave you a happy little high?
Gifts for Friends and Family
There are other benefits to giving gifts to family and friends beside a pleasurable chemical mood boost. When we take the time to consider others, their feelings, and preferences, we strengthen our attachment to them. The act of thinking through what would make another person happy is a significant investment in that relationship and is reflected in the personal meaning of the gift.
Every year we have at least two opportunities to pick out the perfect gift – birthdays and Christmas. These are occasions when gift cards just will not cut it. Instead, we diligently listen to stories and show particular interest when someone is describing an item that could potentially make a great gift. The best presents come from listening!
Picking the Perfect Gift
We show others we are interested in them when we listen attentively and respond appropriately. This is true in conversation and gift-giving. For example, have you ever told a coworker you have a super-secret jellybean addiction, only to find a small jar of jellybeans on your desk the next day? Such a simple but impactful gift because it shows you were heard.
The perfect gift does not have to be expensive. It reflects time, attention, and the desire to make the other person happy. This can be through a silly token like candy, a thoughtful gesture like flowers, or a romantic gift like jewelry. Each item reflects the thought behind the offering and the level of investment in the relationship.
Perfect Gifts for Friends and Family
- concert tickets to see their favorite band
- DVD of the movie you saw on your first date
- picnic basket with a few of their favorite foods
- a framed picture of a beloved pet
- 3D wood map of their favorite vacation destination
Meaningful gifts are meant to be individualized and personal, so one size does not fit all. For example, while one friend may enjoy adding to their home décor, your minimalist family member may prefer a sustainable or consumable gift. Gifts that commemorate travel, like a nautical map, are particularly thoughtful because it shows you listened to their travel stories.
5 Reasons to Give a Wood Map
- Wood maps give vacation vibes every day.
- Wood maps inspire more travel.
- Wood maps remind us to be our best selves.
- Wood maps encourage curiosity.
- Wood maps are an elegant addition to any décor.
Wood maps keep vacation vibes alive in your everyday life.
Other than gift-giving itself, there are fewer things better than a relaxed mindset when relaxing on a much-deserved getaway. The other-worldly peace found when lounging on a sandbar in the Great Lakes or cruising on a houseboat on Lake Cumberland is indescribable.
The lake art given to commemorate those moments ensures the lake vibe stays until a return trip is planned.
Wood maps inspire more travel and more travel stories.
The gift of a 3D wood map is an elegant nod to the adventure of travel. By gifting a high-quality piece of lake art to a friend who has just returned from Lake Tahoe, you honor their experience and inspire future travels to explore that alpine paradise once again.
If you have never witnessed the crystal-clear waters of Lake Tahoe yourself, this nautical map and late-night tales of sleigh rides in the mountains might inspire you to book a trip for yourself!
Wood maps remind us of who we are on vacation: our best selves.
A 3D wood map is a perfect reminder of who we were while on vacation. Untethered from devices and focused on the beauty of the world around us, we become the less-stressed, more present version of ourselves.
When a nautical map is given, it honors the person we were on holiday in Ireland, talking to strangers in pubs, exploring kirkyards, and wandering down backroads looking for coos.
Wood maps pique our natural curiosity and desire to learn more.
Once we have had a taste of travel, we yearn for more. Nautical maps allow visual exploration of a body of water, coastline, or island and encourage learning.
A beautiful piece of lake art reminds us that our best self is still in there, even after we return home.
Whether it is a place already visited or one high on a bucket list, the 3D wood map is just the beginning of the adventure. The map will help the recipient connect places, faces, and experiences to the points of interest etched into the lake art.
Wood maps are an elegant souvenir to add to any décor.
Bringing home souvenirs for family and friends from far-flung destinations is a tradition as old as travel itself. Up your gift-giving game and increase the chances your gift will remain on display by giving a 3D wood map.
A high-quality nautical map is a welcome addition to any home, increasing the travel vibe and reducing the discussion of tacky travel tchotchkes almost immediately. Lake art instantly elevates décor and keeps creative conversation flowing!
What 3D Wood Map Would You Give?
The gift of a nautical map can also memorialize the area where a friend grew up. The perfect piece of lake art may be the one that depicts where they lived in San Francisco. Your friend will delight in the etched details that tell the story of her childhood, her favorite landmarks, and the waterways that captured her imagination.
Help your sister and brother-in-law keep that lovin’ feelin’ by gifting an elegant wood chart of Italy, the romantic backdrop of their destination wedding. Take them back in time as they study the points of interest on the 3D wood map and smile, remembering their first blissful days as husband and wife, exploring the beautiful country. This gift is sure to be cherished for a long time.
Anniversaries, birthdays, graduations. Weeks spent at the cabin on the lake to celebrate milestones. All these occasions are worthy of a high-quality nautical map that will represent achievements and capture the priceless moments of being together and making memories. The gift of a 3D wood map ensures all those precious memories live on.
Wood Maps to Commemorate Unforgettable Vacations
What about the trips that changed your life? The weeks spent traversing the Emerald Isle or hiking in Maine with your best friend? Your favorite vacation memories are captured in the details of a nautical map, inspiring stories and fits of laughter as you return to the map time and again to recount the hilarious mishaps and beautiful memories made.
How to Pick the Best 3D Wood Map
Your incredible gift-giving prowess comes in handy when it comes time to pick the best 3D wood map. You will know which nautical map is best because you have listened and know your friends and family very well. You know who likes to take it up a notch on game night and who prefers the subtle ticking of a well-built clock.
Picking the Perfect Wood Map to Give
- listen to what your friends say
- attach the gift to a memory
- connect the gift to an experience
How to make people happy is not a great mystery. Even your friend who exclaims, “I do not need a thing!” will be delighted with the gift of a 3D wood map depicting the Baja Peninsula because you notice she drops going to Baja in most conversations about future travel. After a bit more digging, you learned that the Baja Peninsula has been on her travel bucket list since she became obsessed with whale-watching in Cape Cod as a teenager.
The well-timed gift of lake art can be the final inspiration to turn that dream trip into reality. Whether you believe dreams require a passport or happiness can be found in a dive bar in Vegas, that stunning piece of lake art may just seal the deal on travel plans.
Varieties of Nautical Wood Maps
3D wood maps are available in various styles, one of which is sure to be the perfect gift for a friend or family member. Depending on their interests, you might consider a stunning nautical map as functional as it is elegant. You can provide an engaging piece of lake art in various forms, such as:
Varieties of Wood Maps
- wall art
- wall clock
- cork map
- serving tray
- cribbage board
While each nautical map is sure to bring a smile, a hand-crafted 3D wood map wall art is sure to hang in a prominent place in the home. Whether you chose a small, medium, or large wood chart, it will clearly reflect the value you place in the friendship and in the experiences they enjoyed. In addition, each time you visit, the lake art will inspire new conversations about the adventures commemorated by that nautical map.
Wall Clocks
A nautical map wall clock is the perfect gift for that friend or family member who continues to count down the minutes until their next adventure. The wall clock that offers a reassuring glimpse of the Hawaiian Islands brings a smile to the friend who just returned from their first excursion to the islands. This gift solidifies your interest in their happiness and is sure to release all the good chemicals in your brain when you see their response!
Cork Map
A cork map is that subtle reminder that sits on a desk saying, “Hey. Remember travel? Let’s do that again soon!” A cork map of Maui gives the island vibes needed daily to keep that next trip top of mind. It is an elegant reminder that there is life beyond our desk, and the whole world is waiting for us to explore it.
Serving Tray
We all have the friend who is the Hostess with the Most-est, and that friend will be over-joyed with a 3D wood map serving tray of Martha’s Vineyard. She has told the story at least a hundred times about having High Tea at the tearoom when she saw Martha Stewart (or someone who looked like Martha Stewart!) walk through the other room. That story has become her trademark, much like serving High Tea as often as possible, and this tray will be her pride and joy.
Cribbage Board
And finally, there is your buddy who has never let an opportunity pass to break out a board game and get the party started. A nautical map cribbage board with Lake Superior is the perfect gift to remind your friend that you have been inseparable since you met at Lake Superior State Forest Campground when you were kids. Even then, neither one of you could walk away from a cribbage match!
The Perfect Wood Map Gift Exists
With so many styles and destinations to choose from, the perfect 3D wood map for each occasion and every friend and family member exists! A high-quality piece of lake art is the gift that keeps on giving, providing your friend or family member a daily reminder that they are important to you and you listen. You heard them when they told their stories of adventure, and you wanted to memorialize those for them in a wood map.
Gift-giving is an excellent opportunity to show others how we feel about them and experience a few positive health side-effects of our own. It is often said that it is more blessed to give than receive, but scientific evidence shows us it is an even transaction.
The gift of the 3D wood map is the perfect example of a win-win, especially if you get to see the lake art you gave as a gift regularly!