Holiday Gift Buying For The Impossible To Shop For

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Now that we are getting into the gift buying season you are probably starting to make a list of who you’re shopping for this year.  You are probably also trying to figure out what to get everyone.  Some on your list hopefully are very easy to shop for, but what do you do about the people on your list who are not so easy to shop for?  You don’t want to resort to cash or gift cards because that seems so impersonal.  So then what do you do to show you really put thought into that gift this year, while still maintaining your budget?  Well, here are ten gift ideas for the people on your list who are hard to shop for.

10 Unique Gift Ideas For The Hard To Buy For

1. Tickets to a show.  A concert, the theater, the opera, a sporting event, or whatever the gift receiver is most interested in get a couple of tickets to the nearest event.  In case you’re wondering I’m a Def Leppard fan and Mets baseball fan, hint hint…
2. Personalized items.  If you know someone who plays the guitar, then personalized guitar picks.  A golfer, personalized golf balls.  Whatever the person’s hobby is, get them something they’ll use with it and have their name printed on it.  They’ll love that you thought about their interests and gave them something that’s generally generic and made it all their own.
3. Fruit of the month club.  The gift that keeps on giving year round.  It doesn’t have to be fruit, it can be flowers or chocolates.  Something that will make them think of you every month and smile as their treat arrives.  Flowers are really a great way to spruce up the home.  Be careful with the candy.  You don’t want to give that to someone you suspect might be making a New Years resolution to lose weight.
4. A membership to a gym.  If you know that someone has been wanting to join a gym, but hasn’t been able to justify the expense, then buy the year membership for him.  Make sure it’s something he really wants though.  You can also sign a person up for a cake decorating class, a basketball team, or dance lessons if it’s something they have been saying they want to do.  Hint hint for husbands, your wife might really enjoy doing some ballroom dancing with you.  This could be the perfect unique gift this holiday season, but you better be willing to join her without griping about it, otherwise she’s going to wonder why you even bothered.
5. A Swiss Army Knife.  This is always a practical gift for just about anyone.  We all need tools for quick fixes in an emergency situation.  Having a Swiss Army knife on you at all times really makes that easier.
6. For the 21 and over crowd, booze.  Unless you are dealing with a recovering alcoholic (please make sure you don’t give alcohol to someone who’s a recovering alcoholic) this is always a great go to gift.  Give a person your favorite bottle of wine, or if you know what his favorite libation is get that for him.
7. The gift of adventure.  Get someone a day of skydiving or bungee jumping.  Or give him a helicopter tour of the city, or maybe flying lessons if it’s something he has always wanted to do.  Depending on your budget this could really be a whole lot of fun.
8. Keepsakes.  If you have a special memory with pictures put together a photo album of this time together with the person.  Be creative.  The ticket stub to the first concert you went to together and all of the mementos from that evening in a memory box.
9. Your time.  If this person has small children, then offer to babysit so they can go out on the town for an evening.  If it’s a single friend who doesn’t get out a lot, then pick a date to go to a movie of his choosing.  Your aging parents/grandparents, then offer to do some yard work around the house one weekend.
10. Donations.  Making a donation in someone else’s name is a great gift.  Support someone’s alma mater by purchasing something with the school’s logo on it.  If you know of a cause that someone is really passionate about, then donate money to it.  Shameless plug here, and another gift idea for anyone who has me on their list of impossible to shop for people, St. Baldrick’s.  I for one would love to see a donation made to childhood Cancer in my name.  Give kids with Cancer Moments Like This…
    

So there you have it.  Now you have 10 unique gift giving ideas for the impossible to shop for this holiday season.  Do you see any on this list you think someone might like?  Do you have any to add to it?