Christmas is that time of year where we spend a lot, eat a lot and catch up with a lot of people who we don’t normally see as much during the year. Either way, it is just an awesome holiday and my favourite time of year. And that is because it’s the time when we get to give presents to those who matter most in our lives. For many though finding the perfect present is something that we all have a hard time with.

After all, people are picky, or they have everything or you don’t know them well enough to know what they would like or simply put you have no idea where to start. Well don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you (side note you can also use these for birthdays!).

1. Start early. This is gonna sound kinda out there but I don’t mean a few weeks early, I mean a few months early. For the people that you wanna get the best presents for (maybe your family or close friends), the best thing you can do is make a list in your phone with their names in a line and when you get an idea for a gift, type it next to their name. That way when you get to the time to buy the present, you’ll have some ideas to pick and choose from and it won’t be as overwhelming.

2. Pay attention. Christmas is that funny time where everyone you know responds to your well meaning question of what would they like for Christmas with the angelic remark “oh that’s okay you don’t need to get me anything” or my favourite “I have no idea what I want”. They usually don’t mean anything by this but it doesn’t solve your problem. You want to get something for them and you’re trying to figure out what. This is where the starting in advance comes in handy. Because for the rest of the year, most things you hear them talk about can be a present if you make sure to think about it that way. Do they love travelling or experiences? Buy them something that can utilise to make said travel happen. What are their interests, what music do they listen to, can you find the band’s merch somewhere? Is there an inside joke you have? How can that be represented into a present? Sometimes you’ve gotta be creative.

3. Be logical and know your person. Sometimes getting them something that they need more than something that they want can be the best thing you can do. Yes they might talk about that new palette from Sephora that they are planning to get in the next month but they say this while wearing three year old ten dollar white vans that they have worn every second day for years and haven’t thought to replace with new ones. Long story short, buy them the exact same shoes that are maybe slightly better quality but have the same look. At the end of the day people like what they like. And it’s not because they are boring or trying to annoy you and make your life hard. It’s because the things they like make their life better and more fun.

4. Google is your friend. You don’t have to think of it all on your own. Look things up on the internet/ Pinterest/ Ebay. There is some really cool stuff out there that you might not have realised. There are websites with great lists and pieces of advice of what to get people and sometimes doing your research can help.

5. Quality over Quantity. Yes there are people who measure how much you love them with how much money you spend on them but most people go with how the present makes them feel. If you think about what things that annoy them or make their life difficult (e.g a back problem or their back fence is broken) work from there and find something that could help improve it a little e.g a spa massage treatment or a surprise makeover for the backyard. Oh and don’t be afraid to buy a gift card if that’s all you can think of. Gift cards are underrated because they give the person room and the freedom to go and get something they want to get and without having to be concerned about money. That’s a damn good gift if you ask me.

Extra points:

-The more the present reflects their personality, interests and joys, the more it will mean to them.

-If you need more background info about the person, talk to those who know them best then go from there.

-The more time you allow yourself, the bigger you can go and the more time you’ll get to budget around it.

-Don’t worry too much, just do your best.

Less than two months to go until Christmas, you can do it!