Does gifting a knife cause bad luck?

If you have a home cook on your holiday shopping list, check out their cutting tools. The first thing a home cook needs is a good knife.

But be careful, that gift might come with a bad omen.

Ok, so this is just a superstition, but a creative way around it makes for a charming story.

The origin of the superstition is unclear, but the details are all pretty much the same. The idea is that the gift of a knife represents the severing of the relationship. Some say the superstition started in Japan but was originally tied to the gifting of swords. Others say it started in Ireland, Germany, England — the list goes on.

If you want to avoid bad luck, or even just have a charming story to go along with the gift, search your piggy bank.

All you have to do is tape a penny (or a nickel if you live in penniless Canada) to the box. The receiver then gives you the coin as an act of “buying” the knife from you. Problem solved!

Now, I get this whole thing seems silly. But when’s the last time you saw that friend or family member open an umbrella indoors? Or walk under a ladder? I thought so.

In the end, the story takes your amazing gift to a whole new level at very little cost to you.

Stay tuned for more gift guides and reviews.