Bitcoin as a Christmas Present

[GhostRider25]

Has anyone ever given bitcoin as a present?  Birthday or Christmas.

I think it'd be a pretty cool thing to do, and also could help bring awareness to bitcoin, and get more users involved in it.
Some people may be kind of interested in the whole Crypto Thing, but think it's going to be too much of a pita to get into, too much money, especially when they see someone like PooPal trying to jack you for 3 percent per transaction etc, and just say, ill pass.

Imagine giving someone a thumb drive that has a wallet on it with say 20 dollars / Yen / Pounds, or whatever on it, as a gift.
It IS money, it spends in many many places just like money, so now they kind of HAVE to explore a bit if they want that money.
if you really wanted to take the extra step you could install the core onto the thumb drive with their wallet, so it's really now, plug and play for them.

besides, worse case, if they don't use it in a few years, unlike a gift credit card which will suck you dry month by month in 'fees' it won't go anywhere and very possibly might be worth even more now, or absolute worse, you keep a copy of the 'gift' and just cash in the wallet yourself if they never use it.

i think it would be a novel and kind of cool gift for christmas besides stupid gift cards that they charge stupid money for, or just giving cash.

It also supports crypto and helps brings new people into our world.

Thoughts / Suggestions

Thank you
Aaron

Edit:  you could do this with any coin too,  use LTC or DOGE as well.  start a holiday tradition !

[Z390]

What's the purpose? That's all I want to know, because we are not in those eras where you need to do this in a form of creating awareness, you even spoilt the whole idea, that's if this was the idea all along if you use alternative coin, this creates more confusion as to why you doing this, Bitcoin a bit acceptable but not necessary, but alternative coins?
Also just think what the receiver would do right after you give them the gift, it's a Xmas gift right? They would instantly sell the coin and spend the money on other gifts, even ps4 as a gift would do justice for Xmas than gifting Bitcoin and others, it is not necessary.
Believe me, those who are not in bitcoin already don't want to or they are too broke to get involved, the awareness is already everywhere.

[Coyster]

It's not a bad idea to gift someone some bitcoin as a gift, i have never done it, but i have read a few posts from people who have. I do not quite fancy it, particularly if the recipient doesn't know what bitcoin is, i'd rather gift them something they would like and appreciate, not something i like and believe in.

That said, if it is just a few dollars, then it is worth the try. But if you are going to gift someone bitcoin that is worth a good amount, then you have to teach them a few things about bitcoin if they are a complete novice. You don't want them to lose it as soon as they get it, considering it is worth a good amount.

[Agbe]

It's not a bad idea to gift someone some bitcoin as a gift, i have never done it, but i have read a few posts from people who have. I do not quite fancy it, particularly if the recipient doesn't know what bitcoin is, i'd rather gift them something they would like and appreciate, not something i like and believe in.

That said, if it is just a few dollars, then it is worth the try. But if you are going to gift someone bitcoin that is worth a good amount, then you have to teach them a few things about bitcoin if they are a complete novice. You don't want them to lose it as soon as they get it, considering it is worth a good amount.

You're right there is no need of Gifting any one about Bitcoin when such a person may not be too aware or enlightened about Bitcoin. So the to me the best Christmas gift you can give to anyone if it's related to Bitcoin then should be first and foremost introducing success a person to the Idea of Bitcoin first before the talk about gifting Bitcoin. Because what is important is the knowledge about Bitcoin there is no need gifting something to someone who may not truly understand and appreciate what you have given to him simply because such a person doesn't know much about Bitcoin.

[Hispo]

Just some unpopular opinion here, but I consider giving Bitcoin as a present is a bad idea.
Most of the time, if the person is not into cryptocurrencies, they are likely to lose access to those Satoshis we give them as a gift, commonly by losing access to the private key and the gift ends up being a complete waste of resources.
It would be better to give some cash or a gift card to someone who is not into Bitcoin.  I don't like seeing Satoshis being lost forever just because someone could not see their value when they were gives to them.

On the other hand, it could be a better idea to give a hardware wallet as a gift, so the person learns about Bitcoin and can store it in a proper way.

[Solodoski]

Instead of gifting someone bitcoin they don't know how to control or keep safe why not share your bitcoin knowledge with them. In a situation to choose between knowing how to invest wisely with bitcoin or some fractions of bitcoin. I will choose to learn first. Learning will make me understand how bitcoin works, how store it and how to grow or invest more. But if i do not learn, it will be a waste since ill be losing the bitcoin by using it anyhow and exposing it to theft.

[Cryptomultiplier]

Instead of gifting someone bitcoin they don't know how to control or keep safe why not share your bitcoin knowledge with them. In a situation to choose between knowing how to invest wisely with bitcoin or some fractions of bitcoin. I will choose to learn first. Learning will make me understand how bitcoin works, how store it and how to grow or invest more. But if i do not learn, it will be a waste since ill be losing the bitcoin by using it anyhow and exposing it to theft.

In that case giving presents like video instructional materials which are explaining or applying Bitcoin, even movies and magazines on the topic of Bitcoin and crypto currencies for better understanding, would help too.

Unless such person on the receiving end has had some education on it and is knowledgeable enough or even a newbie, then it can be invested for them in their name until maturity and diversified to get them better gifts that would be more beneficial than just gifting them Bitcoin.

[coupable]

Instead of gifting someone bitcoin they don't know how to control or keep safe why not share your bitcoin knowledge with them. In a situation to choose between knowing how to invest wisely with bitcoin or some fractions of bitcoin. I will choose to learn first. Learning will make me understand how bitcoin works, how store it and how to grow or invest more. But if i do not learn, it will be a waste since ill be losing the bitcoin by using it anyhow and exposing it to theft.

In that case giving presents like video instructional materials which are explaining or applying Bitcoin, even movies and magazines on the topic of Bitcoin and crypto currencies for better understanding, would help too.

I don't see this as a nice gift. A valuable present is something that have value. And the value that could be bitcoin related is something valuable in bitcoin. Sending a small amount to introduce someone to bitcoin isn't a big matter to worry about. It's not a loss by all means.

[boyptc]

I have seen forum users did that in the past and that's a good idea.

If you're going to do that, make sure that you have given some instructions that they're going to do it by themselves and not with the help of others that know how to import the wallet.

Because it might be misleading to them and the person that will help them could trick them and say that there's nothing with the gift that you've given.

[STT]

  I saw a clever bling present of mining machine as a present.  Its not something I would recommend exactly but its a smart thing to sell as an idea.  They advertise Raspberry pi mining BTC with a colourful see through case, I think the figure mentioned was quite pitiful and 100k hash maybe.

  The advertising line was its unlikely but not impossible to solo mine a block and win big time hence you should buy not 1 buy 4 of these and give them as gifts etc.  Picks and shovels in a gold rush kinda enterprise, they paid alot to advertise this on instagram I guess so its probably a profitable venture.

They suggested someone had got a block this way.  (not quoted in advert):

Expected time to find a block: ~15,938 years.

[SUPERSAIAN]

I've never considered giving someone Bitcoin as a gift. If I gave someone Bitcoin, they'd probably cash it in the next day and immediately buy something else they wanted. But I heard of someone sending Bitcoin to the groom at a wedding in my country, and it happened years ago. I hope the groom kept the gifted Bitcoins.

For someone who's never heard of Bitcoin, the best way to start is to explain Bitcoin to the how to send, how to store, and the basics.

[GhostRider25]

Well obviously you are not going to give someone something they know absolutely nothing about and just send them on their way, that's kind of odd that so many think that's how it'd play out. 

you wouldn't give a car to someone without them knowing how to drive would you?
you wouldn't give someone, say a nice expensive watch, or jewelry, or something, and not tell them how to take care of it would you?
would you be such an irresponsible individual that if someone gave you something of value, told you it had value, that you'd just go meh, ok and promptly piss it away or lose it?  yah i know, a lot of Gen Z's out there so maybe that ? is kind of self answering but, most people, the curiosity of it would get them to look into it, or at least ask, what is this, at which point, YOU being a responsible person would say, oh that's bitcoin, it's a form of money, i can show you / teach you / you can google to learn more etc.  if they are so disinterested that they'd throw away money because it would require something too much like adulting, then, as mentioned, you have the copy, take it back.

instead of giving your 12 yo money, which you know is immediately going to be spent, give them crypto, say it's an investment, maybe they learn from it, learn how to save money, build money, or... even if they just ignore it, it actually gets used for your purpose... an investment.

i know some people give lottery tickets as presents,  that kind of sucks imo, you lose you got nothing, at least with crypto, you got something.  and it is like a lottery.  think of back in 2012 - 2014 if someone gave you 20 dollars of btc, what it would be worth today?  what if you were 12 back then, an irresponsible child, you threw the thing in a closet, and forgot about it because.... being responsible.. ewww... and now it's 2025. you are 25 now, probably not that much more responsible, but maybe just a bit smarter, that is now worth maybe 100k.  That's a nice down payment on a house, pays a huge chunk of your worthless college degree  off, a car, etc.   Was that such a horrible gift afterall now?

I just think it could be an interesting gift, not cost you a ton, has a lot of potential for a learning experience,  learning finances is never a bad thing, and has a lot of investment potential.  If it's not wanted, then it's easy to get rid of.  hell, if you are that lazy, just regift it.

A hardware wallet, that was a very good idea, a bit more secure.  A thumb drive with a core wallet installed, almost the same thing, you can also load some tutorials and stuff if you so desire, or other coin wallets too.   the potentials are there for plenty of crypto related themes.

Thank you for the inputs so far.

All the negative inputs, I honestly don't see someone like, hating it, or really being mad, because it's not quick convenient, and think it could genuinely raise some curiosity, and interest in crypto, and of course, the educational side of it,  many said, well you'd need to tell them about security.  yes absolutely BUT, that life lesson goes with your credit card, your pin number, ANY money you got, not just crypto.  So you really don't need to teach them too much they don't already kind of know about  ie don't give info out.

Aaron

[Vod]

Well obviously you are not going to give someone something they know absolutely nothing about and just send them on their way, that's kind of odd that so many think that's how it'd play out. 

Everyone who controls bitcoin should understand how it works.  A man's (ex) partner threw out a old hard drive in 2013 with the private keys to over $800,000,000 at current prices.   He tried to dig it up in 2021, fully financed by people with more money than brains.   While ultimatley denied for enviromental reasons, there is no way that drive would have been readable with any type of forensics. 

[GhostRider25]

vod, i remember hearing that story and others like it.
but on that,  back then crypto was pretty new and people really just didn't know.
they know plenty now.  or at least should ,because bitcoin is not some internet dark circles 'oddity' anymore, it's very mainstream, like a debit card sort of.

you would be surprised what forensics can pick out.   those drives are sealed, and the case is aluminum generally, so while the board may be toast, carefully taking the platters out, you can easily get the data off them.  even if the platters were corroded a bit, with the tech today, (it'll cost you a pretty penny) you can still manscan it and pull data off damaged platters.

all he would really need is the wallet number,  the password if it was encrypted he'd have to know or he's fkd period no matter what, but with that, even with a partial number /key, if you had a good chunk of it, you could much easier brute force the rest of it and guess at it until you hit.  the transaction is on the network so is still there.

and if it's worth 500 million or so, im guessing there would be people willing to help with the crunching. in theory you could set up an isolated node to bust it w/o flooding the real network until it hit. then push the proper data thru to make it official.


Aaron

[Razmirraz]

I have never given Bitcoin as a gift to anyone, but it is not a bad idea and before I had read a news story published in local media about someone who gave Bitcoin as a birthday present to his child. It takes further steps such as educating the recipient of the gift about how Bitcoin works and storing it safely, indirectly you have spread information about Bitcoin to those closest to you and if the recipient of the gift is your child, this decision can give you comfort and you don't have to worry about your assets because you have spread information about Bitcoin to the next generation.

[bubilas]

Has anyone ever given bitcoin as a present?  Birthday or Christmas.

I think it'd be a pretty cool thing to do, and also could help bring awareness to bitcoin, and get more users involved in it.
Some people may be kind of interested in the whole Crypto Thing, but think it's going to be too much of a pita to get into, too much money, especially when they see someone like PooPal trying to jack you for 3 percent per transaction etc, and just say, ill pass.

Imagine giving someone a thumb drive that has a wallet on it with say 20 dollars / Yen / Pounds, or whatever on it, as a gift.
It IS money, it spends in many many places just like money, so now they kind of HAVE to explore a bit if they want that money.
if you really wanted to take the extra step you could install the core onto the thumb drive with their wallet, so it's really now, plug and play for them.

besides, worse case, if they don't use it in a few years, unlike a gift credit card which will suck you dry month by month in 'fees' it won't go anywhere and very possibly might be worth even more now, or absolute worse, you keep a copy of the 'gift' and just cash in the wallet yourself if they never use it.

i think it would be a novel and kind of cool gift for christmas besides stupid gift cards that they charge stupid money for, or just giving cash.

It also supports crypto and helps brings new people into our world.

Thoughts / Suggestions

Thank you
Aaron

Edit:  you could do this with any coin too,  use LTC or DOGE as well.  start a holiday tradition !

This is a nice gift, but it doesn't lead to cryptocurrency adoption because it's for a very narrow circle of people. A wife or girlfriend wouldn't appreciate such a gift. Their first thought would be "how to quickly convert this crypto into fiat and spend it." So it would be easier to give them an envelope of cash right away. Only a cryptocurrency friend would appreciate such a cryptocurrency gift. And even then, cryptocurrencies rarely give each other gifts. Sometimes rich cryptocurrencies give crypto to poor cryptocurrencies. But more often, the rich don't want to give anything to others.

[KiaKia]

Some people are not going to like this idea but I don't see anything wrong with it, unless if the person they want to gift the bitcoin knows nothing about Bitcoin, it means they might do something stupid later that will result in lost of the bitcoin.

Gifting someone who is already into Bitcoin and crypto some Bitcoin is really a good idea, they know the worth and they will appreciate even more compare to someone who don't even know bitcoin, many can't operate a bitcoin wallet today still.

The idea is not for me because gifting someone Bitcoin here is more like exposing your worth, the person you gift can also tell other people which can lead to others monitoring you, if the news get to bad people they can come for you.

[TypoTonic]

instead of giving your 12 yo money, which you know is immediately going to be spent, give them crypto, say it's an investment, maybe they learn from it, learn how to save money, build money, or... even if they just ignore it, it actually gets used for your purpose... an investment.

I just think it could be an interesting gift, not cost you a ton, has a lot of potential for a learning experience,  learning finances is never a bad thing, and has a lot of investment potential.  If it's not wanted, then it's easy to get rid of.  hell, if you are that lazy, just regift it.

LightningPiggy seems like a pretty good fit for this. You can find out more about it in this topic.

[Die_empty]

Some people are not going to like this idea but I don't see anything wrong with it, unless if the person they want to gift the bitcoin knows nothing about Bitcoin, it means they might do something stupid later that will result in lost of the bitcoin.

Gifting someone who is already into Bitcoin and crypto some Bitcoin is really a good idea, they know the worth and they will appreciate even more compare to someone who don't even know bitcoin, many can't operate a bitcoin wallet today still.

The idea is not for me because gifting someone Bitcoin here is more like exposing your worth, the person you gift can also tell other people which can lead to others monitoring you, if the news get to bad people they can come for you.

A special gift should be something that the receiver cherishes or has always wanted to get. Giving someone Bitcoin as a gift should depend on some factors. The person should know about Bitcoin, how to secure and use it. There should also be a desire to own it.

Gifting it to an outsider is also a no-go area because of security reasons. But a close family member like your spouse, siblings, or children would have no security concern. Nevertheless, many other things can be used as Christmas gifts.

[bubilas]

Some people are not going to like this idea but I don't see anything wrong with it, unless if the person they want to gift the bitcoin knows nothing about Bitcoin, it means they might do something stupid later that will result in lost of the bitcoin.

Gifting someone who is already into Bitcoin and crypto some Bitcoin is really a good idea, they know the worth and they will appreciate even more compare to someone who don't even know bitcoin, many can't operate a bitcoin wallet today still.

The idea is not for me because gifting someone Bitcoin here is more like exposing your worth, the person you gift can also tell other people which can lead to others monitoring you, if the news get to bad people they can come for you.

Perhaps a great idea would be to gift someone Bitcoin, but only unlock the Bitcoins over time. You know, like the reverse DCA principle, so that the person can't spend the Bitcoins all at once, but rather constantly monitor the value of their savings, which will eventually be fully gifted to them.
This would spark their interest in cryptocurrencies. While I understand it sounds strange, it would be an effective gift.