The favorite toy may be the cheapest object anyone in the household truly treasures.

Attachment does not follow price. The expensive gift sits on a shelf while a worn scrap of fabric becomes essential, because value here is built by handling, comfort and hours spent together rather than by anything a shop decided. Children are unusually honest about this, and adults do the same more quietly with a mug or a jumper. What gets loved is what gets used.

Before buying something meant to be treasured, notice what the person already reaches for. Then protect the humble thing: know where it is, repair it, and do not quietly replace it with a better version.