But etiquette experts and even purveyors of these new better-yourself certificates warn that such gifts could be interpreted by the beneficiary as less giving and more intervention.
"Before you buy, I say use your best judgment," says Peggy Post, an etiquette expert and great-granddaughter-in-law of Emily Post. "Stop and think first. Could this backfire?" Search and you will find a gift certificate for almost anything, ranging from liposuction and hair loss treatments to online dating services and sex therapy workshops.
"We live in a country where many people have pretty much everything they want," says etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore. "It's getting harder and harder to find gifts that they don't already have, so people put a lot of energy into finding that one-of-a-kind, personal and creative gift. I think we'll be seeing a lot more personalized gifts like these in the future.
"The giver has to be really careful about giving a gift that might imply something or offend somebody," says Whitmore, who founded the Protocol School of Palm Beach in Florida.
Take for example, a new mom opening a card to find a certificate for an hour's worth of Mommy-Muse, a service for women who might be overwhelmed with the "profound transition to motherhood."
Or picture a married couple's reaction when they discover a $50 gift certificate for relationship enhancement with Coreen Plewa, a Santa Fe psychotherapist who offers an hour of deep listening.
Just imagine the boss's face when he or she receives a Coaching Circles certificate from employees for an executive stress package, which comes with aromatherapy, calming oils, candles and, yes, a life coach who will teach managerial wisdom.
Companies like eHarmony and Yahoo! are encouraging matchmakers to rescue their friends and family from the affliction of singlehood. Yahoo! Personals is launching its new gift program next month ($19.95 per month-long subscription, $44.95 for three months or a generous $99.95 per year for those slower at coupling), and eHarmony's has been going strong for more than a year now.
For Post, the etiquette expert, these gifts fall into the increasingly intrusive realm, along with everything else that is "TMI" and "OTL" -- too much information and over-the-line.
"No one should be surprised that such gifts are given," says Post. "We've gotten so informal as a society that people don't think twice about asking questions that are too nosy or baring things that are too personal. These gift certificates are an outgrowth of that."
"There is a very fundamental flaw in society in the last 30 to 40 or 50 years, in that people have no boundaries anymore," Fernandopulle says. "Good intentions are nice, but not good enough. There must be other thinking involved when giving such a gift. Both parties must have permission and give permission. This is not a good surprise gift."
Such sound advice and quick reflexes could prove useful, especially if you're going to give someone a certificate to Anderson & Anderson, a global anger management training firm in Brentwood, Calif. At $150 a pop, the certificate gives that special someone in your life an introductory class, workbook and tips for managing that fuse.
Still, such gifts have their fans. Gretchen Anderson, a 53-year-old Daytona Beach, Fla., resident, loves to give and receive dermatology and cosmetic surgery as a gift.
Anderson, who refurbishes hotels for a living, has received $3,000 worth of gift certificates and given the same amount of certificates -- but only to close friends and family -- for such procedures as Botox injections and microderm abrasions.
He concedes that he would not have attempted such a delicate gift as a newlywed. Even after 15 years together, Romain spent weeks reading up on various treatments available for varicose veins and discussing the procedure with Matt Leavitt, founder of Advanced Dermatology and Cosmetic Surgery in Florida, who sold him the gift certificate.
"I did a lot of research and decided that 'Hey honey, here's a check for 300 bucks. Go at it, baby,' wasn't the way to go," says the 39-year-old Orlando, Fla., advertising salesman. "Instead, I'm going to put the gift certificate and a photo advertisement of someone else's legs in a nice, big box.
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