Special occasions are made special by the presence of people that we love and care for. They celebrate with us during our milestones in life by expressing their congratulations and happiness for our achievements. Besides their presence, they may give us gifts to mark the occasion, gifts that are thoughtful and well-meant. We do the exact same thing for the people that we love since we know how it feels to be appreciated.

Sometimes though, we forget special occasions due to stress from work or other obligations. The people concerned may feel hurt and neglected; they may even think that we are not interested in keeping the relationship. Of course we know that it's not true, but just the same, it might be difficult to explain what happened. We didn't mean to forget, say, a friend's birthday, there was no malice intended---but the relationship will become strained and at the worst, it will be broken.

To prevent this from happening, we must learn how to maintain a gift list. This way, we will not forget to give gifts to the people that we love on the day of the occasion. Having trouble remembering your parents? wedding anniversary? Can't, for the life of you, recall exactly when you and your girlfriend got together (come on, you know you forget it too!) There's a very, very simple solution to this problem: list it down.

Here are some tips on how to maintain relationships through a gift list:

1.) List down all the names of the people that matter to you and the dates of special occasions regarding each. Remember to put the list in a spot that you see often, such as pinned to a cork board in front of your office desk, taped to the fridge---anywhere that you always are. Take advantage of technology too! Post the list on your virtual desktop, in your PDA, and/or in the calendar of your cellphone (remember to set the alarm).

2.) Also list down the appropriate gifts for the occasion. For example, for anniversaries, the best gifts to give are flowers. Flowers are fool-proof! If you don't have the time to buy some, you can order online. Many online shops offer Flower delivery that is fast and efficient, ensuring that the whole process is stress-free. So list that anniversary down and have those flowers delivered!

3.) Be there. Receiving gifts gives a person this nice tingly feeling, but the giver being there is the most important gift of all. Remember to clear your schedule before the occasion to make it more special and unforgettable.

Maintaining a gift list is very simple but it can save you a lot of time and help you build relationships with people that matter most to you.