What's the first thing you should do?
Simple, really think about the person you are going to buy the gift for. Ask yourself what do they like? What do they like to do in their free time? What do they need or can use to make their life easier? The gift should be for them, not something you would like or want.
If the person you are buying a gift for has a hobby or craft they enjoy, then buying a gift for them is easy, just buy stuff for the hobby or craft. For example, if they love scrap booking, you can buy the all kinds of stuff to embellish their pages with and with such a wide variety, it would almost be impossible to duplicate what they all ready have. For the woodworker you could buy patterns for projects they might like, or supplies and tools they may be in need of. If they are an artist they will always be in need of paper, canvases and paints. Sometimes the best gifts are practical gifts they can use, and when they create that scrap book page, or paint that picture they will think about you as they are using the gift you bought them,
If they collect something, then add to the collection. Just make sure you scan the collection before shopping so you don't buy something they already have.
If they really don't have a hobby or craft and they don't collect anything then you definitely need to consider how they spend their free time. In this day and age a lot of free time is spent playing the latest video games, hanging out on the computer and watching TV is still a favorite pass time. If this is the case, then you can always buy stuff for those activities. You can buy the latest video game, just make sure you know what system you are buying it for and if you are buying a computer game, make sure the computer is compatible with the game. For the TV fanatic you could make a snack basket filled with popcorn and chips for snacking on while watching their favorite shows. A recorder to tape one show while watching another is a great idea too. A cozy couch blanket with pillows to snuggle up to while watching their favorite episodes is also a great idea. For the computer guru you can make the same snack basket or buy accessories for their computer and the space around it. You can even buy new gadgets for their computer, like USB memory sticks and a really cool WACOM pen tablet. (I have one and just love it).
If you want to buy something that will make their life easier then first think about the things they have the most problems with. For example someone that is always getting lost will definitely benefit from a TOM TOM or other type of GPS. Someone who is really stressed out may benefit from a prepaid massage, a day at the spa, a pedicure, or just a really nice evening out. You can also do something like hire a maid to clean the house or a lawn company to cut the grass or shovel the snow in some cases. Having these tedious jobs done and paid for can eliminate a lot of stress and not having to do them or even worry about doing them will make life a lot easier for them.
A really good gift for some people is a magazine subscription; this is especially good for older people who live alone because it comes usually once a month and gives them something to do for at least a little while. Just make sure it is one that will be of interest to them, but with such a large variety of magazines on every topic imaginable it should not be hard.
Almost all women love and wear some type of jewelry so that is always a good gift. Just make sure you pay attention to the type of jewelry she already wears and buy the same style. Basically there are three types of jewelry, the bling bling (big and shiny), the not to big, but not really small, and the small and dainty. Women usually like one of the three types, so if she is all about the bling, don't buy her a really small pendant type of necklace, and if she is the small and dainty type don't buy her something big and gaudy. This is another example of thinking about the type of person you are buying for.
If you are buying for a sports loving man, the possibility of gifts is endless. There is a ton of memorabilia and accessories you can buy for any sport, but one really good idea is to just buy a couple of tickets for their favorite sports game and either you can go with them or they can take their best buddy out for the day.
Since the economic depression doesn't seem like it is going to go away before Christmas, many people have stopped going out to dinner so you can bet this year a gift card to a nice restaurant will be really appreciated, just make sure it's enough to cover the bill to ensure it will get used.
These are just a few ideas to help make your gift buying easier and hopefully you can avoid buying yet another shirt or bottle or cologne. All you really have to do is think about the person you are going to buy for and if you still cannot think of one possible thing they would like that they don't already have, then go for the gift card for their favorite store and let them pick out what they want or need.
