One of the most common frustrations heard around Christmas time is that people can't
think of what gift to give their brother/husband/mother/daughter etc. Below are 9 simple tips that should help ease some of this stress, and they can be used regardless of the occasion - christmas, birthdays, valentines etc.
1) Don't Stress. Stress won't make it any easier for you to find what you're after. Instead turn it around and decide that you're going to have a bit of fun with it
2) Think about the person receiving the gift. Ask yourself - what are their hobbies? What do they do for fun? Where is their next holiday destination? Has there been a recent breakage of something they own?
3) Ask for help. Speak to the people that are close to the recipient and ask if they know of any item in particular they want or need at the moment. Worst case scenario you'll be able to bounce your ideas off them.
4) What is the gift for? You should be looking for a present that matches the occasion - valentines gifts and birthday gifts required a different type of present.
5) What is your budget? Knowing this will help you start ruling out some of the more fanciful gift ideas and let you narrow down you're search to gifts that you can realistically afford. One advantage of shopping online is that most of the websites have a feature that allows you to categorize products by price.
6) Speaking of which - Use the internet. You can get more research done in an hour online than in a day spent at the mall. Get click happy and browse different sites and pages until something stands out and screams 'BUY ME NOW".
7) Let them choose - there's nothing wrong with asking them what they want, or giving them a gift certificate at a store that you know they'll find something they like. Again the occasion will have an influence here. Gift certificates as an anniversary present are a quick way to a night spent on the couch
8) Personalise - many gift stores now give you the option of adding a pesonal touch to the gift. It is amazing how such a small thing as the recipients name embroidered/printed on the item takes it from ho-hum to pride of place on the manetelpiece
9) The stand-bys - food & chocolate, gift hampers, flowers and alcohol are always great to have as a last resort. While they may be the most personal of gifts, the recioient will still appreciate the fact that you thought of them.