I pretty much always buy off the registry nowadays but I much prefer the way it used to be, even if it did mean people got some gifts that weren't ideal. At least the gifts were (mostly) more personal.
This is an odd perspective to me. What could be more personal than literally giving people exactly what they want?
I think we may have different definitions of personal. Which is fine of course!
To me, in this context, it would mean that I, as gift giver, put time and thought into choosing a gift for you that has meaning.
Going down a list to choose a gift that comes closest to the amount I wanted to spend is about as cold and impersonal (again, IMO) as I can imagine.
I'll give you an example. As part of a shower gift I received as a bride-to-be almost 40 years ago, I received a special knife that the gift giver ordered by mail. (This was way before the internet!) She had one and used it and loved it and wanted share that with me. I still have that knife and use it regularly. And I still think of that person often when using it.
It's not something I would have ever registered for, because it would not have even been on my radar. But it's a very useful tool!
It's just a knife. Not a hugely expensive item and it was part of the gift, not the entire one. But in my book, that was a personal gift because she wanted to give me something that she loved.
I think I understand your perspective. From my perspective, the gift of the knife was more personal to the giver - what the giver wanted. I am sure sometimes this works out well, but generally speaking I want to give people what they have expressed that THEY want, not what I think they should want. I do this by directly asking people what they want (like for Christmas or birthdays for my nieces and nephew) or consulting a registry when one exists (yes, even "honeymoon registries").
As an aside, as a person who does not cook really ever, a knife would not be particularly useful or meaningful to me. I think about things I really have enjoyed, like a kettlebell I use often in workouts. I love my kettlebell! I wish everyone loved to use kettlebells! But it would be unrealistic for me to gift a kettlebell to everyone because *I* love my kettlebell when I know they would prefer the knife they registered for because they are into cooking more than they are into kettlebells.
Anyway, just different perspectives.
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