25 Days of Christmas - Day 11: Buying the Perfect Gift

I'll be honest. I suck suck SUCK at buying gifts for people. I always try to be original and creative and the gift just ends up falling flat. Problem is, my friends or the people I date all seem to suffer from a debilitating disease known as frequent impulse buying. Which means, if they want something, they're going to buy it despite the cost or if someone else might be getting it for them. It's not that I don't know my friends' personalities enough to get them something cool, I just can't afford some of their more expensive tastes nor can I keep up with their constant shopping. So what's a girl to do? A few sure-fire solutions.

1)  Check to see if the person you're buying a gift for has a wishlist on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, etc. Yes, it's impersonal because the giftee is already minimally aware of what he or she is receiving from Christmas if they keep an eye on their wishlist. However, it's good to have when you encounter a picky person to buy gifts for.

2)  Character study. Think about what this person's hobbies are. If they are a huge fan of tea (like myself), get them a lovely set of tea mugs from Teavana or an electric kettle so they can make tea in the middle of the night without waking up half the neighborhood (or bursting their own eardrums.) Pay close attention to their likes and dislikes. The things they'll go out of their way to spend their money on or activities that will occupy most of their free time are usually the same kind of items they like receiving as gifts. This is also likely to be the hardest gift-giving solution as their interests could likely be so broad as to prove difficult to narrow down an acceptable gift they'd enjoy.

3)  Ask someone else close to the person like a friend, relative, etc. what the person is interested in. Now, this is just plain lazy. If you are friends with the person, then you should already know what they are interested in. If not, then you got stuck with the dull guy in your office for Secret Santa or you aren't as close as you thought to this person you consider a friend. 

4)  Gag gift. If, after all this, you are STILL completely stumped what your friend wants for Christmas then you could always just buy them something wildly inappropriate or nutty as a joke. If this person has a wacky sense of humor, they'll find this gift hilarious and will keep it to treasure for many years to come (even if it's something they'll never actually USE.) Best gag gift I've ever received? One year I told a friend I wanted the perfect boyfriend for Christmas. So she bought me a Ken doll and one of those pocket vibrators. lol. Best gag gift I've ever given someone? A sexy women's lingerie teddy. BTW, the receiver was a straight man. :-)

5)  Money, money, money, MONEY! The good old fallback will always be giftcards or straight up cash. Still stumped and it's Christmas Eve? No problem! Just pop out to a Walgreens or ANYWHERE that sells giftcards for a multitude of vendors, pick a couple, and TA-DA! You're done!