It's all about the surprise

We used to think more about what to gift.

A present involved creative thinking: knowing the other and learning about what they liked and cared about.

The mall, the outlet, the online store, and the Google search make it easy to figure out what we want and where to buy it.

The accessibility and convenience of ubiquitous technology and retail stores simplify how we gift today.

But maybe, just maybe, it was that extra effort (that's now fading away) that made the exchange special, more humane.

It's harder than ever to surprise you—and it's all about the surprise.