Well, the Holiday Season is upon us, and you know what that means…….buying presents for people. And there’s nothing that makes me happier than giving gifts at Christmas. When you give something that the recipient absolutely loves, there’s nothing better.
But that’s the hard part: finding that perfect gift.
So, I’ve been looking around for ideas for the people on my Christmas list, and I’m having a really tough time. There are so many constraints. I want to get something that really shows that
1. I know what the person likes
2. I think they can really use the gift
3. I know they already don’t have one
But there’s a problem each time. First, you don’t want to get something for a person based on their job. What is that saying? “I know what you do for 8 hours of the day, and besides that, I know nothing about you. You work alone defines you to me, so here.”
And should you really think about pragmatism when selecting a gift? Should I get my parents a vacuum cleaner? I don’t think that works.
So I’ve been leafing through the Improper Bostonian and Stuff @ Night, hoping to get some inspiration, and I’ve had no luck. Apparently I’m in the wrong business, as contributing writers to these publications are able to afford $435 hand bags for their sisters in law.
But the one thing I’ve noticed is that every holiday gift-giving guide is broken up first by gender, then by age. The better ones have more layers (relationship to you, their personality type, etc.). But even then, people are so different and unpredictable that it’s nearly impossible to suggest a gift for a title than an individual.
Well, that’s exactly what I’m going to do here. I’m going to list some “relationship titles” and ask for some input. And again, since you don’t know anything about the individuals themselves, you’re going to have to make some assumptions, which may or may not be correct. Some of these are actually people I’m buying for, so I may use that advice. Others are completely made up, and I’m listing them here just out of curiosity and to see what responses I would get. Here Goes:
1. Mother
2. Father
3. Sister
4. Niece (2 years old)
5. Grandmother
6. Grandfather
7. Girlfriend
8. Aunt
9. Uncle
10. Nephew (10 years old)
2 responses so far ↓
1 Barry Freed // Dec 5, 2006 at 12:28 pm
I’d be pretty hypocritical if I didn’t put my answers here. So here are mine….though there’s no way I’m using them…..it would ruin xmas for the people reading this!
1. Mother
Something that she wants but wouldn’t buy for herself. I think that’s about as close to a universal mother gift idea as I can come up with. In my experience, most mothers are very giving and don’t spend on themselves as much as others.
2. Father
Some kind of distraction. Some fathers like fixing things, others like sports. No matter what, it seems like dads like distractions.
3. Sister
No Idea
4. Niece (2 years old)
Toys
5. Grandmother
I think that grandmothers are usually the easiest to buy for. They generally have favorites, and since you’ve known them so long, it’s easy to buy the same thing each year.
6. Grandfather
Grandfathers are tough. They’re like dads with distractions, but over the years, they’ve already accumulated lots of distractions.
7. Girlfriend
The absolute hardest and most critical to buy for.
8. Aunt
Ask your mother (or father). They’ll tell you.
9. Uncle
See #8
10. Nephew (10 years old)
Since I have no nephews, I don’t have a clue on this one. But this is one of the few I threw in here just for the sake of curiosity.
2 Erin // Dec 5, 2006 at 9:48 pm
1. Mother- I have an idea on this one, and since she’s my mother too and I know she’ll be reading this, we will talk about it on the phone tomorrow evening.
2. Father- see number 1.
3. Sister- Gift certificate for a massage (from Nick at Adirondack Holistic Health in SGF) or acupuncture. Something to spoil herself. She works hard.
4. Niece- Dora’s Talking cash register. I know it says ages 3 and up, but she’s a friggin genius.
5. Grandmother- trip to the casino.
6. Grandfather- Power tools.
7. Girlfriend- jewelry, and a keychain flashlight- they come in handy and she’ll always remember your thoughfulness when she’s trying to unlock her door in the dark.
8. Aunt- perfume. Duh.
9. Uncle- beer and scratch-off tickets.
10. Nephew- Weapons.
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