Gift Giving for the Un-Giftable: A Holiday Guide for the Hard-to-Buy-Fors

By Karolyn Castaldo on November 28, 2012

Everyone has that one person in their life who is absolutely impossible to buy a gift for. Whether they are the friend who makes you think, “what to buy the person who already has everything?” or the really picky family member, it can make the holidays extremely stressful. With this gift guide, you might be able to pick something up for them that fits their personality just so.

Begin your search on your travels 

Photo from Flickr.com by Mike_fleming

You can never start holiday shopping too soon. When you’re on a trip and you see something that would be perfect for that incredibly difficult friend or family member, go for it, especially if it’s from a place they’ve never been. Chances are, they won’t already have it because it’s not local and you don’t have to worry about someone else giving them the same thing. The only downside would be in the case of the picky friend. If they are really unhappy with it, they won’t be able to return a gift that’s been purchased very far away in exchange for something else.

Put on your chef’s hat and apron 

In most cases, people love food. Figure out whether your hard-to-buy-for is a savory or sweet kind of person and go from there. The possibilities with gifting food are endless because you can go from simply making them a batch of their favorite cookies to giving them an elaborate basket with all the dry, non-perishable ingredients for a make-your-own-dish, complete with recipe card. They will love the thought and the fact that it’s homemade!

Don’t skip the essentials 

There are items that people always need that we wouldn’t necessarily think of as “gifts”. If your friend or family member is also in college, think of what you need on a weekly basis and make them a basket of the essentials: a college survival guide of sorts. This can range from socks to Ramen Noodles to medicine and even beer (if they’re of age)! If your un-giftable person is much older, think of something they do frequently, like gardening or visits to the local bookstore, and stock up on things that they might need for those hobbies, such as gloves, shovels and flower seeds, or a bookmark, reading light, a reusable shopping bag and a new book. If you aren’t sure of their hobbies, but notice that they always admire something of yours, like candles or other decorative pieces in your home, get them something similar for theirs that they might not go out and buy on their own.

There’s always an easy way out 

If you know there’s really no hope in finding a gift for this person, the gift card or gift certificate is the best cop out for the hard-to-buy-for. You know the places they like to shop, dine, get their hair done, buy their tires, or even get their gas, so use that to your advantage. If they are really picky, it’s likely that they’d rather pick out their present by themselves anyway. Amazon gift cards are great because they can be used on so many things!

In the end, most people will be happy that you were thinking of them during the holiday season, so don’t let your inhibitions about a certain gift get your spirits down. Shop with confidence and remember, it’s the thought that counts!

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