Giving gifts is a great way to show your friends that you care, but sometimes it can be difficult to find the perfect present. Luckily, with some pointers and intuition, you’ll be able to pick out the perfect gift for even the most difficult of people.
Start generating ideas. Think about how you can translate information about your friend into a physical gift or experience.
Pick a gift that relates to their personality. Using the mental list of information that you noted, think of gifts that speak to who they are as a person.
- Buy your music-obsessed friend an album or a t-shirt from their favorite band’s merchandise. Look into fan-club memberships as well.
- Get art or craft supplies for an artistic person. Think about art projects they’d like to accomplish, or about work that they haven’t finished.
- Look for rare or quirky team memorabilia for a sporty friend. Check out EBay for autographed cards, bobbleheads, stickers or other sports items that others are unlikely to have.
- Buy toys for the person’s pets. Pets are important to their owners, and sometimes a gift for a pet can mean as much as a gift for their owner!
- Continue to think outside the box. Remember that no matter what your friend’s interests are, your gift should be thoughtful and interesting.
Consider hand-making a gift. If you’re giving a gift to a close friend, a good gift will be one that you and a friend can both relate to and one with a great deal of meaning. Think of a gift that symbolizes your relationship, and remember, thoughtfulness and effort can mean more than money.
- Make a gift that may reference things that you have done together.
- Make a scrapbook with all your photos. This can be a great gift, as your friend will appreciate the time you put into it, and it will bring back memories.
- Make something simple like a friendship bracelet or necklace to remind your friend of how much you care.
Write a letter about how much you appreciate a good friend. Sometimes, a meaningful message or letter can be more thoughtful than a physical object. Pair your letter with a gift and you’ll definitely make an impression. Don’t make it too long-winded, though!
choose an experience over material goods. Simply spending time with someone can show them that you care, and experiences can be even more fun than a physical item that they might not get much use out of.
- Take a friend out for dinner, drinks, a concert or a movie. As with physical gifts, think about your friend personality and interests and choose a gift accordingly.
- Buy your friend a membership to a local museum, aquarium or zoo. They will get free entry for a year as well as special perks for joining.
- Go a little crazy! Sometimes, gifts that seem impossible are more reasonably priced than you might imagine. Look into a horseback riding session if your friend loves animals, or skydiving if your friend is a daredevil. Rent a car and check out a state park with an adventurous friend.
Pay a bill for a friend. If they’re going through rough times financially, sometimes an eased burden is just as meaningful to a friend as a nice gift.
give them something they actually want. Sometimes, in gift giving, we go overboard thinking about how to give the absolute perfect gift. However, it’s more important to think about how the gift will affect your friend, and whether or not it is something truly useful and meaningful to them.
Remember the person’s preferences. Think about things that they like or talk about, whether it’s music, movies, art or sports. Think about any skills, talents or hobbies they may have. Try to remember anything they’ve mentioned wanting in the past weeks or anything they’ve had their eye on.
Go to the mall with them and see what they look at. If they’re considering buying an item but decide against it, make a mental note of it as a potential present.
Listen to see if they mention anything they want. You may overhear them talking about items they’d like to have while they’re around friends or coworkers.
