Gift giving can be a hassle for some people. It’s not that you don’t want to give the gifts – it’s just that somehow you always end up heading to the shops at the last minute hoping for inspiration. But there’s a way to remove the pain and put the joy back into giving gifts. Here are some tips:
Tracking Special Occasions
One of the first things to do is to find a way to keep track of all the occasions you know about. Some people use a birthday calendar (one with dates but not days) and fill in all the birthdays, anniversaries and important occasions. They keep it handy and check out what’s coming up at the start of each month.
Others prefer to use desktop software (such as Outlook or Thunderbird) or an online solution such as Google Calendar or iCal.
The beauty of using those tools is that you can set reminders for all occasions. As a matter of fact, with Google Calendar you can set multiple reminders for maybe a couple of weeks and a week before which gives you plenty of time to find a gift before the occasion arises.
Gift Preparation
Keeping an overview of the dates is just one aspect of planning – another is being prepared with ‘just in case’ gifts. Many people buy items when sales are on (such as after Christmas or in the summer) so that they get exquisite items at great prices. They keep these items in a safe place and then shop from their in-home store (if you can call it that) when a special occasion comes up. It’s also a good idea to buy unusual items on your trips. If you’re going on holiday or taking a cruise, then buy some suitable gifts wherever you stop off, even if you don’t yet know who they are for.
Hamper Gifts
Finally, there’s one more tip that can remove the stress of gift giving. There’s one type of gift that is perfect for almost anyone – a hamper! That’s because everyone has favorite food and drink items and taking the time to put together a customized selection will make anyone feel special.
Most hampers have a good range of specialty foods and drinks as well as more everyday treats like chocolate. Best of all, you won’t even have to worry about wrapping paper – you can just have the gift delivered straight to the recipient. Now, that wasn’t so stressful, was it?
About the author: Sharon Hurley Hall writes for Scottish Hampers which offers gift hampers suitable for every occasion.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Robo Android.