The Art of Gift Giving

I am sure this advice probably would have been better for all if given before the holiday season had finished but I am just not that clever and so I am giving it now instead. Better late than never, I always say!

Some people are good at giving the right gifts to the right people and some people are not. Likewise some people are easy to buy gifts for and some are damn near impossible. Personally I am not so good at buying people gifts but shockingly easy to buy gifts for.  Anyone who can’t work out what to buy me is seriously not a friend of mine because I am always going on about the things I like and I am clearly obsessed with all things cute/pink/black/skulls/blingy. Of course not all people are as easy to shop for as I am and have more elusive tastes so you need to do a little bit of detective work in order to find the perfect present for them (or at the very least, a decent one that they won’t resent you for buying them). Especially if, like me, you’re totally crap at buying people presents.

Ask questions! Do not go about guessing because you will more than likely get it WRONG. Whether you ask the recipient themselves of ask the people who know them best, try and get some hints as to what they want. You might be lucky and find out they’ve given their mum or partner a list of things they’d like and so you can work out what to get with the greatest of ease (make sure you don’t double up with whoever has the list as that’ll look pretty bad for you both). If there’s no magical list to save the day then you need to keep asking questions and possibly spend an afternoon shopping with them to see if they point anything out. Obviously it’s best to be as subtle as possible about what you’re up to in order to surprise them when you give your present but with some people that might not be possible and you might have to start being direct and ask them “What would you like for Christmas?”.

What about giving gifts that the recipient already knows about? Is this a bad thing? Personally, I do not think so. But it does depend on the person and the circumstances. In most cases it is better to tell your boyfriend/husband/male relative exactly what you want because a) they don’t take hints very well and b) they’re usually shithouse at buying presents, especially for females. Guys, I am sorry to tell you this, but you SUCK at buying presents for girls. There are a few of you out there who take hints, listen and end up getting fabulous presents that please the lady in your life. But that is rare. Listen up, because this is important: “The thought that counts” is a load of crap. Because if you buy the special girl in our life something she has NO interest in and expect that crap to fly then you’re a jerk and deserve to have your sorry arse dumped (or get the silent-treatment at the very least). Either take note of her hints, get her to write out a wish list or else get her to tell you exactly what she wants because chances are she doesn’t want red lingerie or a hot dog maker (I know a guy who got one of these for his girlfriend once, based on the fact she enjoys the occasional hot dog, she wasn’t happy. Totally hilarious but so WRONG). Also, do not try and get all creative. If a certain type of perfume is listed, don’t compromise and buy a Britney Spears’ perfume because it was cheaper or the sales lady suggested it or because you forgot the list because she will not be happy (this happened to a friend of mine recently, she was NOT happy AT ALL).

And lastly, be careful about who you buy practical gifts for. For example, if you bought me a “practical” gift like a wok or a toaster, I would probably throw it at your head. Not everyone likes practicality, particularly not in the place of presents. Presents should be fun in most cases, so why take away all the fun by giving them something dreadfully mundane like kitchen utensils or socks. Even if the person you are buying a present for has mentioned their toaster died, don’t go buying them a new one for Christmas. Firstly that is BORING, secondly it’s really none of your damn business, and thirdly you might end up buying them a replacement they don’t really want that doesn’t do what they want or doesn’t suit their decor. Unless you find a toaster that screams their name (ie. if someone saw a diamante-encrusted, pink Hello Kitty toaster that made my toast pink and Hello Kitty shaped then I’d be outraged if you didn’t buy it for me) then forget about it. Work a bit harder and find out what frivolous, fun thing they’re eying off and get that instead. After all, if they really needed that “practical” thing so badly then they probably would have already bought it themselves by now.

I hope this helps! I have used my own advice and so far my crappy gift-giving skills have remained a virtual secret to most people, simply because I was sneaky, asked questions and gave it lots of thought. Don’t be one of those people who everyone dreads a gift from because you’re too slack to put in a little hard work! It ain’t that hard and you will be richly rewarded for your efforts!