How to Give Thoughtful gifts

Are you a person who struggles to come up with gift ideas for your friends and family? Even when it’s somebody you know well, do you often draw a blank when it comes to gift giving? Or perhaps you revert to your old standbys when you would really rather give more thoughtful gifts? Especially during the holidays, when we are buying gifts for multiple people all at once, coming up with gift ideas can be quite overwhelming to say the least.

My Method for Giving Thoughtful Gifts

So I have a method that I use that I want to share with you to help you bust out of your gift-giving rut and help you to uncover meaningful gift ideas that your recipients will appreciate. (At least that’s the goal!) I’ve been told that I’m a good gift giver, and the reason I think I have a knack for it is because I take time to really think about the person that I’m buying for. Not only does a thoughtful gift make the recipient happy to receive it, but they are additionally happy to know that you really thought about them as a person, so it’s a double win!

By taking time to dig a little deeper and answer some probing questions, it will help spark new and creative ideas that you might not have otherwise thought of. Ready to learn how?

Get out those shopping lists and let’s get started!

The Questions: Thoughtful Gift Prompts

Below is a list of questions that I typically ask myself when I am thinking about buying a gift for someone. To start coming up with ideas, go through these questions with the recipient in mind to help get your creative juices flowing: Go through his list with the recipient in mind and answer these questions to help get your creative juices flowing:

• What hobbies does the recipient have? (sports, dance, biking, camping, cooking, etc.) *Think for a while about this one as there may be multiple answers
• What do they like to do to have fun?
• What do they like to do to relax?
• Anything they dislike? (Think of gifts that could solve the problem)
• Do they have a favorite type of food/restaurant?
• Do they have a favorite beverage? (coffee, tea, beer, wine, tequila! etc.)
• Favorite place to go/visit?
• Favorite color?
• A favorite scent? (think candles, perfumes, soaps, lotions, etc.)
• Musical interests?
• Favorite pro sports team?
• Do they have a favorite store?

After you have answered one or more questions, think about what kinds of things might make a good gift for that person. For instance, if their hobby is mountain biking, might there be gear or accessories they don’t have that they would like, a gift certificate to a sporting goods store, hobby-related apparel or accessories, or even books about the subject?

Or, let’s say wine is their favorite beverage: gift ideas include could include their favorite wine, an insulated wine tumbler, cute t-shirt with a wine saying on it, a wine tote bag, a trip to their favorite winery, etc.

Do they like to read? Perhaps the newest best-seller, an e-reader, unique bookmarks, gift certificates to their favorite bookstore or digital bookstore, or a reading light. Maybe even something like slippers or a cozy blanket to go with the whole “curling up with a book” theme?

Do they like to cook? What would be some fun kitchen gadgets that they would get a kick out of? Do they like to entertain? Make cocktails? What about a cooking class?

Anything they absolutely hate? Being cold? A nice warm jacket, scarf, beanie, gloves, blanket or slippers. Ironing? An awesome steamer. Cooking? An Uber Eats gift card or meal delivery service. A dirty car? Car wash or car detailing certificate. Black licorice? I feel like this goes without saying, but it’s a good idea to avoid black licorice in general or anything that tastes like it…I’m talking about you, Jagermeister. Unless, of course, they love it. Then go crazy with the black licorice.

Another great idea is to combine two favorite things together, like a gift that is in their favorite color, or something with their favorite team logo on it.

Other thoughtful gift ideas are ones that are based on an experience, like tickets to a sporting event, live theatre, concerts, theme parks, a favorite destination, or classes (like dance, cooking, painting, etc.)

Lastly, if you have an idea or two about their hobbies and interests, I find it useful to just do a Google search for that hobby + “gifts”. For example, say they like tennis, you could type in “tennis gifts” or “tennis gifts for women” and see what comes up. Usually just doing a quick search will give you all kinds of results for different gift ideas that you might not have thought of, or, that you didn’t even know existed! For example, your “tennis gifts” search might result in a tennis-themed piece of jewelry, Christmas ornament, cute mug or t-shirt.

Etsy is also a really great place to look for unique and creative gift ideas, but shipping times can vary, so you’ll definitely want to place your order earlier rather than later. Otherwise, Amazon is usually my go-to for fast, convenient shopping without having to leave the home!

So what do you think? Let me know if you find these ideas helpful. I hope it makes your gift-giving at least a little bit easier this season!

With love,

Liz