One of Hubs’ love languages is gift giving. He is great at finding the great gifts with seemingly little effort. Then, he gets so excited to give it, that he presents it to you 3 weeks early and unwrapped to boot. Once I told him it is more fun when you get the gift all wrapped up on your birthday. His reply? “I have fun!”
Gift giving should be fun. But so many times finding the perfect gift for someone is difficult or frustrating. Especially if they are the type of person who tends to like practical gifts (me), expensive gifts (Hubs), buy everything they want (my dad and sister), or never have any idea of what they want (my mother). In those cases, it takes extra effort on your part to find something they like. So how do you choose a gift for someone?
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Set a budget.
Of course this is my first point. One of my most vital gift giving tips is to set a budget. Don’t feel bad if it is only $5. One year for Christmas, this poor college student, use $3 magnetic paper and our color printer to make magnets for our exchange student. She cried when she opened them because they were so sentimental to her.
The amount is not a factor in giving good gifts, but it is a factor for you. Instead of impulse buying that spa package on groupon at the last minute and spending, waaayyy too much money…yeah, that happened, give yourself a limit. Then, face the creative challenge of fitting your gift into your budget. If you still need some ideas, check out my post A Complete Guide to a Christmas Savings Plan to save up to $1000 (even if you only have 3 months).
What is a good gift?
I like to think of a good gift as thoughtful and meaningful. Gone are the days when I purchase gift cards willy nilly or pick up something on my way out of a store. I have finally answered these questions that guide me in how to choose a gift for someone.
- What is a thoughtful gift?
- How do I make a gift meaningful?
Sidenote, gift cards can be thoughtful, meaningful, and much appreciated. In fact, they make excellent gifts to anyone who lives far from you. But, they are not your only option.
What is a thoughtful gift?
So, let’s start with defining a thoughtful gift. The best way to find a thoughtful gift for your loved ones is to put yourself in their shoes. Finding a gift that shows how well you know that person shows not only how much you care, but will also be well received.
How do I make a gift meaningful?
Think about your friend or family member. What do they like to do? What are their interests? Is there a memory or inside joke in your friendship that you can refer to? Define their passion. Using these as the pivotal basis for your gift can help you choose a unique gift idea that is meaningful.
Hubs is great at this. He is really good at choosing things that appeal to others, and he does it with almost no effort. One year, he put a tiny Dwane Johnson figurine in my sister’s stocking because he always would ask her, “Can you smell what the Rock is cooking?” She loved it! Three years later, it is in her kitchen by her stove. It is one of the few things on the counters in her kitchen.
Gift Giving Tips
I am with you, coming up with something unique, meaningful, and thoughtful for every person, every event, can be excruciating. One of my sweet sisters does not like or want things. She has a very uncluttered home and spends more time focusing on the fun activities she likes than what she owns. If there is something she wants, she buys it. Finding gifts for her always stretches me to my limit. Read my post on Thoughtful, Unique Gift Ideas for a Minimalist to see some of the things I have gotten her in the past.
When you are trying to give an awesome gift, use these tips to help.
- Think of something you have shared together.
- What kinds of things do they normally do?
- What could they use more of?
- Pay attention to their interests at work, at home, and about.
- Consider their hobbies.
- Evoke some sort of emotion.
- Listen.
- Create something
Think of something you have shared together.
When looking for a special gift, it is always good to start with something you have shared together. Try to play towards some sort of inside joke, something you are both passionate about, or both enjoy.
Get inspired by a show you share or a book you both adore. Is there a game you always play together or a hobby you both enjoy? Center your gift around that.
My sister and I both enjoy sewing, reading, and good tea. My friend and I share a love of Anne of Green Gables and crafting. My husband and I both enjoy camping and road trips. Another friend and I enjoy plants, Lord of the Rings, and epsom salt soaks.
All of these things help me to choose good gifts for them.
What kinds of things do they normally do?
If you are asking how to choose a good gift for someone, you don’t have to have anything in common. You can center their gift around the interests they have. What kinds of things do they normally like to do? Do they cook, camp, hike, bike, eat out, style, shoot, craft, sew, write, game? Most people have multiple hobbies.
I like to go deeper than their main surface hobbies and really think about something special I know about them. My friend enjoys reading and crafting like I do, but she also is an avid thrift store shopper, an excellent cook, a collector of vintage towels, and a gardner. Instead of focusing on reading and crafting, her more well known hobbies, I like to try to find things that serve her other interests instead. I could pair a vintage towel with a few thrift store mugs and some infused honey. Or get her a planter pot and some plant labels.
What could they use more of?
Want a failsafe gift giving tip? Ask yourself what your friend needs more of. Consumables make great gifts. You can choose something simple like their favorite snack or beverage, lotion, candy, soaps, or candles. Or get a little more personal with things like favorite makeup, essential oils, room sprays, nice drawing or writing pens, watercolor pad, papercrafting supplies, and polaroid film.
Everyone can use more of something. Last year, one of my students gave me a basket full of natural cleaning products. It was a wonderful, practical, and unique gift that was much appreciated. So get creative, because consumable ideas make great gifts.
Pay attention to their interests at work, at home, and about.
Still needing inspiration about how to choose a gift for someone? Get inspired by the things your friends and family normally do.
Even if you don’t know your giftee well, take inspiration from things they already do. And yes, even work can be a source of inspiration. Motivating office supplies, cute decorations to cozy up an office, and supplies that will help ease a workload can all be great gifts inspired by work.
Some other ideas are a camera strap for your photographer friend, adorable throw pillows for the homebody, and suitcase organizers for the traveller.
Consider their hobbies.
Hobbies tend to be expensive. Learn about your friend’s hobbies. I’m sure they would love a little funding for their favorite thing to do. As you purchase, you might also find a new hobby for yourself. It was when I was researching parts for my sister’s wood burner that I realized it was something I like to do as well.
Purchase some common equipment or get something they need for their hobby. My husband is always needing parts for his RC cars and I will always, always take some great yarn.
Evoke some sort of emotion.
Make them laugh or make them cry. Or, go a different route and shoot for sentimental instead. Choosing gifts that will evoke some sort of emotion makes them more memorable and often more special to receive. Excitement, joy, sentiment, humor, contentement, comfort, inspiration, love, and interest can all help you to give a good gift.
Think what emotion you want your recipient to feel and shop accordingly.
One year, my sister got a big tyrannosaurus rex suit for Christmas. She laughed, we laughed. It was a great gift and one that we will never forget, especially since she immediately put it on and danced around playing the ukulele.
Listen.
Pay attention to the people you will be giving gifts to. What do they talk about? Have they mentioned anything they want? My mom never knows what she wants when we ask, but if we pay attention, we get lots of ideas based on things she talks about, notices in the store.
Not only does this tip make your life easier, it shows your loved ones how much you care. They will feel the love when they open their gift to find that item they had told you about.
Create Something.
Creating a useful gift is always a good idea. If you have the time to plan ahead and have a creative flair, make a gift for your friend. Think of something they will use, like a laptop case, special coasters, or creative entry mat.
I like to try to make the gifts practical or useful in some way so the my recipient will be able to use it on a regular basis. Get inspired by hobbies, pets, or favorite activities. People love when you take the time to make something special.
