How To Give A Great Gift To Someone

It can be nerve-wracking finding the perfect gift for the wide range of gift-giving occasions that we are faced with each year. Finding a gift that the recipient will like, enjoy and use takes a bit of forward thinking and an understanding of the recipient's personality and life circumstances, along with a little help from the steps provided here. After following these, hopefully you'll be ready to get anyone, from your mother to your boy/girlfriend's great-grandmother, the perfect gift.

Steps

1.Brainstorm. Consider the personality and lifestyle of the recipient. Categorize: Male or female, old or young. Then break it down further. Are they athletic or couch potatoes? Foodies or health nuts? What are their hobbies or interests? Once you've got a good analysis of the person you're getting the gift for, the process will be much easier.
2.Do a little research. Talk to a friend or relative who knows the person well. Let's use a significant other's mother as an example. Your honey should be able to provide at least some information about his mother's hobbies, likes or dislikes.
3.Pick a hobby or area of interest. Now that you've got a little information, narrow it down to the hobby or interest you know the most about. Let's say your partner's mom likes gardening. Gardening is a pastime that gives you a gazillion options! Gardening supplies, seed packets and terracotta pots are probably a safe bet.
4.Get creative. If you have a crafty side, why not get a small terracotta pot, some acrylic paint and a sealer? Paint a pot with the s.o.'s mother's name on it. If done in a nice print and with a soft, mellow color (i.e. nothing neon), the mother will admire and appreciate the effort put into it, as well as the uniqueness of the gift. You can paint more elaborate things on the pot if you wish, but even a color other than "terracotta" will be appreciated. Add a few packets of seeds or a small book on gardening tips - a gift that is inexpensive and definitely usable.
5.Listen up. If you spend any time at all talking to this person, tune in for phrases like, "Wouldn't it be nice to have..." or "Aren't those...a great idea?" or even "I am so tired of this old...". With clues like these, it's often possible to get somebody something they hadn't yet fully realized they needed.
6.Draw on your own experience and those of others. For example, if you're looking for a gift for a baby shower, recall what came in handy when you had a baby, or ask a mom you know to make suggestions.
7.Spend time with the recipient in a workshop, kitchen, or other favorite haunt. Do you know of a tool or other goodies that would improve their time there?
8.Go shopping with the recipient, and notice what he or she naturally gravitates toward. This is also a good time to listen for commentary on a person's likes and dislikes.
9.Ask! Find out whether they have a registry or wish list, or simply inquire what they'd like. Your gift won't be original, or a big surprise, but it will not be the one that gathers dust afterward, either.
10.Once you select a great gift, don't forget to wrap the gift attractively. Presentation alone won't compensate for a poor choice, but it can enhance a good one.

Tips

• Gardening gifts are just an example. A sports fanatic would appreciate a few small items with their favorite team's logos, such as mugs and key chains or even sport-shaped cookies, if you're a baker. A coffee addict will always be grateful if you enable their addictions with chocolate-covered spoons and a pound of great-smelling coffee beans. It's a very flexible process!
• Gift certificates are a bit of a cheat, but can still be personalized. When you go the gift certificate route, try to personalize by getting a gift certificate from a store that is interest-specific, i.e. not Best Buy or Amazon.com. Getting a teenage girl who is jewelry-obsessed a gift certificate to Claire's, or a "gamer" a gift certificate to Wizards of the Coast is still more personal than one of the bigger, sells-everything stores.
• Still really lost? For some events like weddings and baby showers, you can get away with a nice generic gift. For baby showers where you don't know the sex of the baby, get something functional like bottles and bibs with prints that aren't pink or blue. Yellows and greens are good in-between colors.
• Make a list for time periods when gift-related holidays are coming up. Decide who you're getting a gift for, what it is, what you'll need to buy to make the gift (if you're going the crafty route), and check each gift off your list as you finish! It's really helpful to do this around the winter holidays.
• Gift bags filled with small gifts are always a favorite. This can also be good if you're not so good at wrapping presents.
• If you don't know the recipient very well, consider giving food. For a personal touch, make it yourself. Homemade food is becoming something of a rarity, these days.
• Don't forget that time can be a wonderful gift, especially if you're short on money or your recipient already has everything. An outing together, a day of help around the house or just companionship can mean a lot, and won't clutter up anybody's shelves.
• If someone says that he or she doesn't like what you gave (this can especially happen with children), don't be too upset. Keep the receipt so an exchange is still possible.
• Try to get something practical. Instead of having a fancy purse with little space inside, try getting a purse with alot of space inside. Or better yet, get a purse at a consignment shop and decorate it!
• If you see something in March for a friend whose birthday is in August (and it is non-perishable) why not buy it then? Chances are when August rolls around, it won't be there anymore.

Warnings

• Giving money is an okay option, but you will want to show that you put some thought into it, so do something like money-origami, or something else to show your consideration.
• Gift cards force your recipients to spend them at a particular store. If that store is nowhere near their home or is not to their tastes, you could be giving them a chore.
• Don't get discouraged if your attempt ends up not getting the reaction you hoped for! Most people really do appreciate the thought and the effort, and hey, you'll learn what not to do next time.
• Don't forget to have fun with this!