Everyone has one of these people in their family or friend group. The people that are so awkward to buy for because you can’t quite figure out what they want, and when you ask them for some ideas they don’t know what to suggest. In the case of my Mum, nobody else knows what to suggest either, unless I’m willing to spend several hundred dollars on stuff I can’t afford.
If you need to buy a gift for this person, you need some ideas, right? Let’s go through some great options that should end up rather appreciated on Christmas morning.
Amazon Gift Card
Yes it’s a cop out, and it’s really the least imaginative gift imaginable, but at least this way they get some sort of present to enjoy. It’s like giving them cash, but ensuring they will actually buy something with it when the Boxing Day sales arrive. How much you give is up to you.
Lego
Everyone loves Lego. Even if they claim that they don’t love Lego, that just means they forgot how much fun it could be to build a set and play with those little plastic bricks. There is plenty of Lego out there to choose from, and chances are you can pick a set that is related to one of their interests for a not too expensive amount.
Christmassy Flowers
This may go down better with your grandma than Uncle Steve the bodybuilder, so this is an idea that totally depends on the person you’re buying for. Not everyone appreciates flowers, but then again some people just love to be given something that looks nice. Various florists stock Christmas bouquets for you to enjoy, though you can always grab an actual potted plant.
There are plenty of regular flowers associated with Christmas too, like the amaryllis, poinsettia, holly, cyclamen, and more. Those can usually be picked up quite cheaply, and they have that added longevity that florist arrangements do not.
Charity Donations
Yeah, yeah, this is just as much of a cop out as the Amazon gift card, but if someone is being a pain it’s better than nothing. Especially if you go and donate to a charity they actually like.
Subscriptions
Whether it’s Netflix, Audible, Amazon Prime, Spotify or even physical magazines, there are plenty of subscriptions you could buy that someone would enjoy. Some of them are even available as gift cards too, provided you know where to look. And if they complain you didn’t get them a proper present you can turn round and tell them that this is better – especially since they didn’t give you any clue as to what they wanted.
An Experience Day
Probably the best option on this list, since those ‘experience’ days offer you the chance to do things you’d never be allowed to do in a million years by yourself. Is anyone going to let you drive a supercar in your own time? No way, not unless you manage to get a job at Top Gear Magazine or some other motoring-centric media brand.
Check online for some inspiration.
A Meal Out
There are a few options available to you here. You can go the easy way and get someone a gift card for a specific restaurant chain they do, or you can make it a bit harder and take them somewhere fancy in person and make it clear you care they have something nice.
Slippers
Maybe this is just a sign you’ve given up, but it gets cold in the winter and the extremities feel those the most. Plus depending on how good a person’s slippers are, and how much they wear them, they might be getting a bit worn. So grab them some slippers to enjoy, or worst comes to worst you can always get a dressing gown.
Booze
No need to elaborate further, really.
This post originally appeared on Gizmodo UK, which is gobbling up the news in a different timezone.