Every year, the holidays are full of joy and fun, great time with the family, and a lot of presents being handed out. And every year, along with the family members and close friends on your gift list, there are also people who you don’t really well – a helpful neighbor, your kid’s teachers, your new boss. Avoid the awkward moment of giving something completely inappropriate by taking an inspiration from our Christmas gift guide for the person you don’t know that well.
There are always people for whom we want to get a little something for the holidays, but we just don’t know their interests and tastes. Imagine your brother is coming home for Christmas with his new girlfriend who you’ll meet for the first time! It’s even worse when there are people who we meet often and respect, but hardly know such as the hairstylist, the security guard, the new colleague or boss at work, the children’s teachers, the babysitter. The question is, what gift won’t be too personal, but at the same time, will show friendliness, appreciation and thoughtfulness? There are several items, which don’t have to be necessarily the perfect gift, but at the same time, they can be suitable and good enough for everyone.
Gift baskets
A gift basket filled with Christmas goodies will be ideal for everyone. It can contain cinnamon or ginger cookies, mini cheesecakes, creamy chocolate truffles, flavoured syrups, dark chocolate bars, flavoured salts, gourmet marshmallows, and many others. You can also fill the basket with items related to the person’s job or hobby you know of – gardening tools and accessories, cookbooks, teachers’ guides, and so on. Choose a larger gift basket, fill it with candy, dried fruit, and office supplies like pencils, glue, calendars, pins, clips, scissors, erasers or self-stick notes and you’ll have the perfect gift for the entire office! You may borrow a few ideas from Best Sellers List
Coffee table books
Coffee table books are more than just books – these are oversized, hardcover, illustrated books that are also intended to show their owner’s sophistication and simply to decorate. Of course, the best-received ones are those dedicated to well-known artists, Hollywood stars, photography, interior design, luxury travel, and so on. And it doesn’t matter whether the person you are giving it to, intends to read it or not, as long as it is beautiful and commemorates someone or something on trend. Of course, if you’ve met the receiver, you can personalize the book by choosing a topic based on their interests, hobbies, or anything you know about them.
- Read more: Top 10 Books of 2014; Best Book Gift Ideas in 2014
Cute plush toys
Before deciding on the particular toy or stuffed animal, make sure you’ll be giving it to a woman. Men in general don’t like plush toys, even if it’s Dart Vader or Chewbacca, for example. Women on the other hand, at most of them, love soft toys – an oversized plush will be a perfect gift for your girlfriend, while a plush Despicable Me minion or Santa will delight every girl aged 5 to 50.
Gift cards
Gift cards are always great, but you need to be careful which store you are buying them from. The best option is to find a gift card from a big department store that sells nearly everything or a big online retailer like Amazon.com where the receiver can choose from millions of items.
Personal items like clothes, shoes, jewelry, and perfumes won’t work. Don’t even try getting rid of your discount vouchers and coupons by giving them as Christmas presents – this way you will easily insult the person. Avoid anything personal or too expensive, and choose something that anyone likes in general.
Commuter mugs, aromatic candles, photo frames, air fresheners, and other small home décor items are also great solutions when you are not sure what the person will like. You can also get a beautifully designed and illustrated calendar for the wall, a Swiss army knife or oversized key ring for the men, a box of Christmas tree ornaments, and many others.
