Choose a Gift for Your Friends

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.

Steps

Choosing the Perfect Gift

  1. Start generating ideas. Think about how you can translate information about your friend into a physical gift or experience.
  2. 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. [1]
    • 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.
  3. 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. [2]
    • 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.
  4. 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!
  5. 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. [3]
    • Take a friend out for dinner, drinks, a concert or a movie. As with physical gifts, think about your friends 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Consider donating to a charity on behalf of someone who has everything. Make the donation in their name, and they'll get some gifts and perks in recognition of the contribution.
  8. 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. [4]
  9. Before you give him/her, send him/her a mail wishing him for the occasion you are going to give. But do not reveal that you are going to give or what is in it.

Doing Research to Make a Better Choice

  1. Take note of simple information about the person. Mentally note:
    • The person's gender
    • Their age
    • Whether they live at alone or with family
    • Whether they’re in school or have graduated
  2. 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.
  3. Check out their social media profiles. They may have posted things that they’ve got their eye on or gadgets that they think are cool. Social media profiles can also give a better picture of their interests.
  4. Find out if the person does any online shopping. They may have a wishlist on a shopping site, which will make gifting easier. You can comb through their registry and find something they’ve already selected for themselves. [5] If they do shop online, ask if you can look over their shoulder and see what they’re shopping for.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Ask for help amongst your mutual friends. They may have some ideas, and be willing to help. Ask if they’ve ever given the person a gift in the past, how they reacted to it. This may give you a good idea of what to give them (and what hasn’t gone over well).
  8. Ask the person’s parent, sibling or other relative. They probably know them very well, and can give some advice. They’ll have more intuition about things that the person has been wanting lately.

Keeping Your Gift in Scope

  1. Think about how close you are with the receiver of the gift. Take stock of how many years you’ve known them, how big a part of your life they are, and how important they are to your future.
    • Best friends are deserving of very meaningful, personal gifts that reflect your years of friendship.
    • Don’t give people you have just met or don’t know too well overly personal or expensive gifts. Expensive gifts may give them the idea that you’re just trying to impress them, while overly personal gifts might come off as too forward.
  2. Keep in mind the occasion for the gift. Christmas and birthdays are big, important holidays for which larger gift giving is acceptable. However, there are many holidays like Easter, Wedding Anniversaries, and Valentine’s Day that require different levels and types of gift giving.
  3. Get bigger gifts for big number birthdays (21, 30 or 50). Let your friend know how much you truly care with an extra thoughtful gift, or by throwing them a surprise party.
  4. Give appropriate gifts for themed parties. Make sure that your gifts fit tradition when attending a bridal or baby shower. A mom-to-be probably won’t appreciate a cast iron skillet any more than a bride-to-be might appreciate a box of diapers!
  1. Find a perfect gift cover. Gift covers are very effective. You can use a gift cover of hearts if you are gifting him/her for there marriage. You can use gift cover of a baby if you are gifting on her becoming mother. If it is her/him on there birthday you can use a gift wrap of balloons design or bell designed gift wrap. Or if it is your personal occasion you can also create a gift wrap with yours and his/her's images. Just you and him/her.

Tips

  • Make sure you don’t buy a repeat gift! When talking to family members and other friends, make note of gifts that they’ve given the person so that you don’t buy them the same thing.
  • Don’t go overboard with spending. While expensive gifts are often a nice surprise for a great friend, there are plenty of lower-cost gifts that can show someone that you care. Remember, “It’s the thought that counts”. Keep it personal and meaningful.
  • Don’t be disappointed if the gift turns out to be less than perfect. Most good friends will appreciate the effort, and there will be more gift-giving occasions in the future to try again.
  • Don't mention how cheap or expensive the gift was. This is considered rude in most cases.
  • If it's someone you don't know very well just get them chocolate. It's always a suitable present for any age or gender.

Warnings

  • Be careful buying clothes for someone. Buying sizes that are too large or too small might be frustrating to them, and they’ll have to be returned. And while you may think that you’re buying a piece of clothing that’s just their taste, your subtle style preferences might not end up matching with theirs.
  • Getting gift cards may be appreciated by some people, but to others, gift cards are signs that you didn’t try very hard. While the person may love coffee, there may be more thoughtful gifts for them than a coffee gift card.
  • Keep it civil. While you might think you know the person well, sometimes gag-gifts and gifts with off-color humor may offend them or anyone who’s around when the gift is opened.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.bustle.com/articles/122008-25-best-friend-gift-ideas-for-2015-that-will-permanently-cement-your-bff-status
  2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/17/opinion/looking-for-the-perfect-gift-social-science-can-help.html?_r=0
  3. ↑ http://www.moneycrashers.com/unique-gift-ideas-someone-who-has-everything/
  4. ↑ http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/03/why-youre-bad-at-giving-gifts/284592/
  5. ↑ http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=3058771
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