Struggling to find the perfect present for someone picky or who simply seems to have it all? Instead of resorting to boring gift cards, let’s get creative this holiday season. Consider these unique gift ideas for those on your list who are extra difficult to buy for.
Give an experience
Obvious, yet underrated. For the person who buys whatever they want for themselves as soon as they want it, shift your gifting focus to experiences. Book them a cooking class, wine tasting, pottery workshop, concert tickets, or other events you know match their interests. Giving events and activities creates lasting memories compared to more stuff.
Surprise travel
If your budget allows, surprise that frequent jet-setter or travel lover with elements of a trip like plane tickets, hotel bookings, or even full travel packages. Or get creative with travel accessories, like monogrammed luggage tags, organizational packing items, and cozy blankets for the flight.
Products to consider:
Collapsible water bottle, $7.99
Subscription boxes
For eclectic personalities who enjoy surprises, subscription box services make fantastic ongoing gifts, especially monthly ones that they’ll continue to enjoy in the months following Christmas. There are a ton of different subscription boxes out there that deliver curated items like books, coffee, healthy snacks, or even exotic meats and alcohol. You pay for a recurring shipment for a set period—like 3, 6 or 12 months—in which they’ll receive items tailored to the recipient’s unique tastes. Consider a flower subscription service for the eco-conscious, an Atlas coffee club subscription for the caffeine addicts in your life, or perhaps a snazzy Japanese snack box.
Fancy consumables
Lifehacker’s Alice Bradley got a Murray’s Cheese gift basket this year and “lost [her] dang mind.” Cheese, candles, napkins—think really elevated versions of everyday stuff, like cashmere socks and fancy hand soap. I mean, who doesn’t need a new (or back-up) umbrella? (And when is anyone going to buy an umbrella for more than five bucks, if not for a holiday gift?)
Charitable donations
A charitable donation gifted in someone’s name can be meaningful for do-gooders and people passionate about social causes. You can choose a monetary amount or symbolic adoption of animals or trees through various nonprofit organizations. Print out a custom certificate to give the recipient announcing your donation made in honor of them.
Lifehacker managing editor Meghan Walbert recommends One Simple Wish, an organization that allows you to grant wishes for kids in foster care. Another option is to plant a tree in someone’s name, which you can do here.
And hey—if they’re a stinker about a charitable gift, then they should reflect on why they’re so hard to buy gifts for in the first place. But hopefully, with a little extra thoughtfulness and creativity, you can make even the pickiest on your holiday shopping nice list light up.
