Choosing a gift

It can be difficult to choose a gift, so here are some hints & tips to help you choose the right gift for the person you love, and questions to ponder over...

What's the occasion? 
Is it a special birthday e.g. a 70th, where a "this is your life" book may be worth doing?  Do you want to give them something to mark or honour a particularly special time in their life e.g. the start of a new phrase or a new arrival, the celebration of many years together or the commemoration of a loss? 

What would the recipient most like to have?
What sort of things are important to the person you're choosing for? What do they enjoy?  What are they passionate about?  Is there a cause they particularly care about?  In the case of charities, one thing you could do is to make a donation and then tell the person you're buying for what you've done in a card.  Many very small charities won't have gift packs, but that doesn't mean they don't need donations.  Be creative!

Would this person like to try something new?
This could be a product, a taster day, a course - perhaps it could give them an opener to a new world in which they soon become absolutely entranced.  Or it could be something which enables them to pick up on an interest and take it further.  

What can I afford?
You don't need to spend a lot of money to show someone you love them.  Better to spend more time with people than more money on them.  Who said looking back "I wish I'd spent more money on that person?" Most would rather say "I wish I'd spent more time with the people I care about and love."

What about giving them the power to choose themselves?
Gift vouchers may sound like boring presents, but they do mean that the recipient can spend them as they wish & and on what they want. With new mums, these can be particularly helpful as they can spend the voucher as the need arises, which could be in a couple of months or so from the day of their birthday/Christmas etc etc. You can always give them a little something to open as well.

How long does this gift last?
Do they need an hour of real pampering or would they prefer to have something they can enjoy for a period of time, e.g. a year or so? Some gifts can last for a very long time, such as sponsoring an acre of rainforest

What human need would the recipient most like their present to fulfill?
Check out human needs and have a think about the human need your gift might fulfil.  For instance, how important is making a difference to the person I'm buying for?  More and more people would prefer a gift that does some good and helps other people out, as opposed to something they are likely to end up not using, wanting, which is soon gathering dust somewhere...

How likely is this gift likely to end up in a cupboard untouched? 
And if it does, can it still do good?  Or will my hard earned cash go to waste?  Even if your loved one never looks at his or her present again, you know your cash is going to doing some good somwhere in the world.