The value of gifts (irrespective of whether you bought them at a store or not) is not intrinsic to the gift itself. It relates more to how you came up with the gift, and how the recipient perceives the gift.

Give away too little, too rarely, or too cheaply, and your gifts may be misinterpreted as something else than an act of Kindness by the person that receives it.

Give away too much, too often, or too costly, and the gift will likely be interpreted as ‘low in value’ by the person receiving it.

Giving and receiving is an equation that needs some balance; It’s what gives gifts the value they deserve. Yet someone, sometime, somehow, needs to start by giving away something that he values if the cycle is to begin.

Giving and Receiving: A cycle where the only way to balance it is to “throw the balance our of whack” by taking the first step and give away too much, too often, or something that you’ll miss.
Then the cycle will begin.

Or maybe not.