If you want to be the person who’s known for always giving amazing gifts no matter what the occasion or who they’re for, you need to up your gift-giving game, and this is something that’s surprisingly easy to do as you will see in my guide to giving great gifts below...
1. Pay attention
The first rule of giving great gifts is to pay very close attention to the intended recipient. When you know what kind of TV shows they like to watch, what kind of music they prefer to listen to, their favourite books, and any hobbies they have, it is always going to be a lot easier to get them something they will love than if you only have a vague idea about those kinds of things. So, although you don’t need to keep tabs on them all the time - that would be creepy - maintaining an active interest in them will pay dividends when it’s time to pick a present.
2. Ask them for options
A lot of us think that giving someone a gift that is a total surprise is the way to go, but the fact of the matter is, that does not always turn out so well. There is absolutely nothing wrong, then, with asking the recipient what they would like. You can still make it a surprise by asking them for a few different ideas that you can have the final say on. It might not be quite as fun, but at least you know they’ll like what you get.
3. Think outside the box
Buying the same gifts that everyone buys is never going to see you being the best gift-giver in your circle. You need to think outside the box if you want to take that position. For example, if you have a friend who loves cars, most people would buy them a book about cars or maybe a driving experience - they’re pretty standard gifts for car lovers after all - if you want to really delight them, you need to do something different like buying them their own set of private number plates or a years’ worth of mobile valeting services or something along those lines.
4. Don’t buy too far in advance
There’s a lot to said for being organised, but if you buy gifts too far in advance, there is always a chance that the recipient’s tastes will change or that they will buy that thing for themself and the gesture will fall flat. Leave it as long as you can and you are more likely to choose a gift that will be a big hit.
5. Package it properly
Even the greatest gift will be a little underwhelming if it’s handed over in a plain cardboard box or plastic bag, so make sure that you take the time to carefully wrap your gifts and make them look amazing before you hand them over.
Giving great gifts is definitely a skill you can learn, so even if you aren’t great at it right now, you can improve by Christmas!
