How to Buy a Gift for the Holidays and Other Times

1. Think about what the person wants, not what you would want if you were them:

This is the biggest pitfall of gift-giving and the most easily avoided one. I think it has to do with simple ignorance. It's what a little kid does without guidance. If children aren't taught how to give a gift that the other person wants, they grow up into parents who think that this strategy of giving others what they themselves want works. If you're a parent, consider taking your child out the first few Christmasses and parents' birthdays and teaching him or her how to buy a gift for mommy and daddy. If you are an adult who never learned how to give a gift, see the rest of the suggestions.

2. Ask the person what they want for a gift:

Sure, it's hard to do. Yes, it's so hard that the holidays are loaded down with self-centered commercials and bad jokes about how hard it is to ask someone what they want for Christmas. Some people will give you a depressingly long gift list of depressingly expensive items. Others will tell you they don't really want anything (with the unspoken message that if you don't get them something nice, you will definitely pay for the rest of the year).

This is a good time to sit down and ask yourself how well you know this person. What subjects do they like? Do they have any hobbies? What do they keep in their houses? What kinds of movies to they watch? What kinds of books do they read? If you think it through, you should be able to come up with something that at least won't have them cringing when they receive it.

3. Consider their needs and situation:

Do they really need something for Christmas that they can't afford or get, but you can? Get them that. Get them a gift that will ease life, not make it more burdensome. So, for example, if they are moving soon, don't give them something big and heavy. If they are unemployed and need clothes for job interviews, get them a gift card to a department store. If you live far away, do you have something in your area that they can't get? Get that.

4. Give the gift on time and at their convenience: