Terrible at choosing gifts?

• Camping - an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a tent, primitive structure, a travel trailer or recreational vehicle at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature.
• Hitchhiking (North America) - hitchhikers traditionally stretch out one arm with their thumb pointing upward.
• Tourist - someone who travels at least eighty kilometres (fifty miles) from home for the purpose of recreation, as defined by the World Tourism Organization.

Need help with gifts? Not everyone is good at choosing them. But there's more to gift giving than getting gift ideas from someone else.

This is why we'd like to share our gift giving philosophy: Focus on "The Who". No, no, no... not the band. Don't go giving someone a "the who" t-shirt. (Unless, of course, they are a fan of Pete Townhsend.) What we mean is... who is the recipient? Who are you giving to? And we don't mean their name. You need to know about this person. You can't give a great gift without knowing that. It's helpful to have a general idea of what they like, and better to know some specifics details about their life and personality. It's also useful to know what they dislike (to avoid the "wrong" gift).

For your own, self-made help with gifts, ask yourself: Where do they work? Do they like what they do for a living? How do they spend their day? Their night? Their free time? Do they have any hobbies? Where do they live? What kind of car do they drive? Are they married? Do they have any kids? What about pets?

These are all questions whose answers can give you the information you need to choose the perfect gift. People notice and appreciate it when you take the time and effort to pick out a gift that reflects WHO they are. It's an especially thoughtful gift when you can give something that relates to a person, pet, cause, or idea that is important to your recipient.

Notice we said "important to your recipient", not "important to you". Gift giving is not about you. It's about them. Some people tend to forget that and end up giving a gift that they would like themselves.

Another tip: If you are an important person in the recipient's life, a gift that involves giving of your time is usually appreciated. For example, if you've been working a lot and haven't had much time to spend with your spouse, for your anniversary, consider giving a weekend getaway together.

That in itself is a good example of examining a person's life or situation and turning it into a great gift idea. The situation is: your spouse hasn't had the quality time with you that he/she deserves. The gift is: a weekend getaway together.

It's a simple concept really. Create your own help with gifts: take a look at who you are giving to and try to understand the circumstances of their life. Then find a gift that fits! Put that brain of yours to work to find the perfect gift! And don't forget to use your heart, too. That's where the ALL of the really good gifts come from. :)

We hope this help with gifts and gift giving has been... well... helpful!

For more help with gifts, visit http://www.the-gift-wizard.com

A Heath is a gift researcher for http://www.the-gift-wizard.com.