Okay so we all know the spirit of giving and good will towards men were killed in a shocking double-homicide in 1978; but that doesn't mean that we can't have fun trying to make Christmas special for the ones we love. I am not even close to an expert on anything but I will say that the only thing I've ever done in life that would earn me a 75% approval rate would be giving gifts. They say it's better to give than receive and I totally believe this; this is why I like to give gifts to those who are special in my life just to show them how much I care to have them in my life. Even with the economy being bad; and even to those who probably won't get you anything in return, I still think you will feel rewarded to give gifts this year. If you are like me, you might even enjoy it once you get into the Christmas spirit. In a way you can try to get into the heads of your friends and family and maybe even get to know them a little better. So without further ado here are some suggestion from me, it is my gift to my readers when I'm writing this and I could be playing Call of Duty: Black Ops instead.
It's not about what you want them to have, it's about what they want: Some of the worst gifts I've been given and the worst I've received have been from neglecting this rule. It seems like a no brainer but when you see a person you think of what you would want if you were them. A better way of thinking of simply this is what they would want. You kind of have to take yourself and your likes out of the equation. So if you want CU stuff and they are OU fans it's probably not going to impress them when you get them CU stuff. Likewise, if you don't like their taste in music you can't get them a CD of what you think they should be listening to. Think they need some sensitivity training books? Christmas isn't really the time or the place to drop this kind of bomb on them. There is a minor exception to the rule...
How about that movie/book/CD you think they'd like but they haven't tried yet: You can tell someone that they would probably like a movie or a book or a certain artist a million times and they will say, "I'll have to check that out." You know they never will; so why not just get it for them? This way it's at not cost to them; they may not always like it, but hey, it didn't cost them anything to try it. As I said you do have to observe the previous rule where you don't seem like you are imposing something on them, or even worse, saying more than you intended. Think more along the lines of "Hey you like Eastbound and Down? Well hey, that same guy is in this movie called The Foot Fist Way you might want to check it out."
Don't get things for a hobby or sport they know way more about: There is a little adage that if a person likes golfing don't get them golf clubs. This goes to say that if they are an adamant golfer they probably don't need golf clubs; likely they have ones that they are happy with and if you try to get them that, they will just gather cobwebs in their basement. Not only that, but it might reveal to them how much you paid for it, a golfer that is worth his salt knows about how much each brand costs or how little you know what you are doing. If you do know what kind of golf balls they use, by all means, not like you can have too many of those; or maybe something non-performance related like a club head cover or something like that.
If you do know a lot about a hobby they are getting into, go for it: Say you take your friend fishing and they have a great time. Why not get them a fishing pole that you like? This can add a bit of sentimentality to the gift, "Hey remember that time we had a blast fishing, well here is a new pole so you don't have to use mine." I remember when my dad wanted to get new golf clubs and he was thinking of springing for some new Nike clubs but since I worked at a golf store I knew that you can get a comparable set of irons for $500 less if you went for the Tommy Armour set.
Clothes? Only if you know them REAALLY well: Before you make this leap of faith think of all the times someone gave you clothes that you said to yourself, "I can't ever see wearing this." It's not a reflection on them; it's a reflection on yourself. You have your own personal style and quite honestly many people don't always like being analyzed based on the clothes they wear. I one time got a shirt that said, "I'm not trying to be difficult, it comes naturally" it is for sure in my normal rotation but I always ask myself when I see it, "Is this really the message I am giving off to people?" Certainly whoever bought it was thinking of me when they saw it; and I get a lot of, "That shirt is so you," so some other people must agree. I just am not sure if that was the best way to learn how difficult of a person I am.
Practical gifts for the man who has everything: I one time got in a name draw "the man who has everything" and insult to injury it was a $5 gift exchange. By the way, note to everyone that has a $5 limit on their white elephant/secret santa: NOTHING COSTS $5 ANYMORE! So you are stuck with a $5 gift certificate (also known as barely a coupon) or a sunglass clip. I opted for the sunglass clip; the guy I got it for took me aside and said, "damn, this is actually the only thing I got this Christmas that is practical enough for me to use." This surprised me, but the guy who has everything is too busy buying bigger, better, best of all the big things they likely neglect the small things that everyone else uses everyday.
Fun gifts for those who aren't so well off: This seems contrary to what most would think; you get the hefty gadgets they've never even heard of for the man who has everything, and you get something practical for those who live more humble lives. In my experience it's quite the opposite; the man who has everything has everything that piques his interest, the family that spends it's money on groceries and cookware probably don't need these things and if they do closer members of their family can probably zero in on what they need in that regard. Plus you might say more than you mean like, "Hey I don't think you can afford to get things for yourself so here is a crockpot," if they are in that kind of situation I am sure they don't need you to remind them. But when I say fun gifts, I don't mean gag gifts, that probably won't do them much good (but it depends on the person). I'm talking a board game or a movie or a gift basket as they may not get to enjoy these things as much as they like.
What's wrong with a Christmas card: You don't have to go Jay-Z on all your friends each year. Sometimes all people need is just a Christmas card. Basically, ever since the death of the Christmas spirit (overdose at a John Belushi coke party) nobody gives Christmas cards anymore. All the more special it will make it if you actually do send a Christmas card. You could literally get one for nearly everyone in your office for $30 bucks (but you might want to get the P.C. Happy Holidays/Seasons Greetings ones if you are worried about that). I think I've probably gotten more gratitude shown from giving people a Christmas card than I ever have from actually springing for a gift.
Making a gift isn't as scary as it sounds: Say you have little ones and you want them to get something for a God-Mother or something; well there are plenty of places that will allow them to make their own gifts like bracelets or even clay pots and figurines. This can also be a great activity to keep them preoccupied while one parent is getting the "Santa" gifts. But this isn't just for kids, why not make a scrapbook? Most people say, "I'm not creative enough to do that" that's what everyone says; but once you have the materials in front of them they just go to town. One warning about scrapbooking is that it is quite time consuming so make sure you have a lot of time (and glue as you never seem to have enough glue). As for if they will like it; they will LOVE it. There isn't a person on earth with a hard enough heart not to like a scrapbook.
Gift Cards only as a last resort: A gift card says I either don't know enough about you to buy you something or I didn't have enough time to put any thought into this; even if you intend it to mean that you want them to pick out something they would like. If you only see your niece or nephew once or twice a year who can blame you for not knowing what they want. But if it's someone closer, expect it to go over just a little bit better than giving cash. That's pretty much what it is, cash that you can only use one place; and if you pick a place they don't shop at you just gave that store money for nothing. If you do give gift cards I suggest get gift cards for something they like but you can't physically give them. For instance maybe a Starbucks gift card if they love coffee because you really can't wrap up a cup of coffee. Or online media gift cards like iTunes cards. You also definitely won't lose points for trying to dress it up a little either; gift basket?
These are just my recommendations so please don't take this as law or take offense to it. If I get enough readers I will also post some interesting gift ideas for those who are out of ideas.
