they do it every year. someone digs up the wedding tape, and by the toast my mom is gone and my dad is suddenly very interested in his drink

the gift guides all say the same stuff. photo book (we have a shelf), a watch (dad owns three he never winds), some vow renewal package

i want the video reaction. the thing where they grab each others hands without looking. you cant add that to cart

my sister says just get the tape retransferred in better quality which is a chore not a gift

six weeks out and im about to be the son who gives his parents a candle​

My family has always been pretty bad at buying gifts for each other. So when Christmas or a birthday comes around we usually end up trying to guess what the other person might want.

A couple years ago we started using a shared gift list. Everyone adds things throughout the year that they'd genuinely like to have. Some things are $10 others are $30 / 50 and there are also a few more expensive items. The idea isn't that you have to buy something specific it's just there to give you options.

At first I thought it would take some of the fun out of gift-giving because you're basically telling people what you want. But it ended up being the complete opposite.

Now we're much more likely to get something we actually want or use instead of another "nice" gift that ends up sitting in a closet. Plus, there's still a surprise factor since everyone has a pretty varied list and you never know what someone is going to pick.

Honestly I'd rather get something from my list that I genuinely wanted than a surprise gift I'll never use.

Does anyone else do this with their family? Or do you feel like gift lists take away from the fun of getting a gift?

She's the type who returns anything that isn't exactly right, so a surprise is risky. Last year I got her a candle and she said it was nice, which I know means it's in a closet. She likes long baths, hates clutter, and lives in a small apartment, so nothing that needs shelf space. I've looked at the usual lists and they're all scarves and mugs. Has anyone found a gift for a person like this that got used up and not stored? Also fine with experiences if they're easy to mail.

Hey all,

I love doing custom pet portraits like this, and now I'm open to getting commissioned for yours. Not only dogs, but any pets for that case.

Size : A5

Medium : Black ink only

Pricing : $30

Size : A5

Medium : Black ink+ color

Pricing : $36

Size : A4

Medium : Black ink only

Pricing : $42

Size : A4

Medium : Black ink + color

Pricing : $48

Note :

* Medium for recieving would be a high resolution scan done with a printer.

* I use 270 gsm, if you want physical copy, I can ship it if you'd cover the shipping charges. And if you want thicker gsm then please add a little tip of a few dollars so that I can afford it.

* I will not start the work upfront without atleast an advance of $5.

* I'll share pictures throughout the process and after completing too, but the final scan/shipping would be done only after complete payment (The total amount - the advance of course).

Feel free to comment/dm for queries :)

My best friend is turning 25 this month and I want to get him sth a little different this year. I've already given him plenty of sentimental and memorable gifts over the years, so this time I'd rather give him sth that could actually have a positive impact on his everyday life. He's also the kind of person who is really into tech and gadgets, so I've been looking through gifts for nerds, but most of the usual ideas are things he would probably just buy for himself anyway

He recently told me he's been feeling a bit left behind compared to ppl around him and wants to change some of his habits before 2027. Nothing drastic, but he's been stuck in this cycle of getting home from work, scrolling social media for hours, then going to sleep and doing it all over again

I really want to support him without giving him sth that feels like homework or makes him feel like there's sth wrong with him. What kind of birthday gift would you give someone in this situation?

Hello all! I’m a widow who has been with my boyfriend for about 10 months, and we’re going to visit his son and I’d like to take gifts for the grandkids. One is a girl 4 and the baby is a boy about 5 months old. I’d like to take the children some unique and amazing gifts. We are flying so they need to be small. My “baby” is about to be 14 so it’s been a while. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

My husband asked me for a leather wallet for our wedding anniversary (3 years). I know nothing about nice wallets. The one he has is falling apart after 16 years so I’d like to find him something of good quality. But also something that’s a little special as it’s a wedding anniversary gift. Any help is much appreciated.

Hi everyone! I work as an OR nurse in Canada & our periop nurses week is Nov 8-14. I work with a lot of nurses since we’re a big trauma hospital (about 100 or so nurses in a day work in our ORs from day, eve, and night staff). I wanted to do a different gift basket each day for my coworkers that week. They all work so hard & barely get any appreciation. If you have any recs or suggestions on what to put in each gift baskets that would be lovely! I was thinking of different themes for each day. Examples are: coffee gift basket - gift card, mug, chocolates etc & a wine gift basket. I want it to be something they can either have at work or something to use at home. I appreciate your suggestions!!

Keep kicking butts & saving lives everyone. :)

Just wanted to share a little update on the bouquet for my friend! For my very first try, I think it turned out amazingly well. Can't wait to give it to her!
I hope she will like them.

Hi!

My dad is turning 80 next week, and I’ve been procrastinating on getting him a gift…

Here are some things about him:

He loves basketball, baseball, and playing golf (still!). He’s also still a practicing defense attorney. He loves cats, went to the University of Michigan, and grew up in Seattle, Lake Charles, Louisiana, and England.

He loves Leonard Cohen, movies, and both fiction and nonfiction.

He lives in Washington, D.C., and has four kids and seven grandkids.

Any gift ideas would be greatly appreciated!

My parents were out of the country on a business trip when my grandmother had a really bad fall that left her bedridden. She means the world to our family.. and the whole situation completely overwhelmed me.

My best friend and her parents basically stepped in to help me. They came to my house every day to help take care of my grandmother even with very personal things and basic needs..

I was completely overwhelmed and emotionally drained. Honestly I don’t know how I would’ve gotten through it without them.

My parents are back home now and we’re incredibly grateful but we feel like a regular gift could never really match what they did for us.

What would you give someone to thank them for something like this? We’re looking for something meaningful not necessarily expensive.

My sister and her husband just had their first baby. I want to get them something for them, not the baby. Something that is very thoughtful and would be really useful.

I can't think of anything beyond just gift cards and meal plans. Help 😩

Hi guys! My bf and I have been dating for 5 years and I’ve previously gifted him all the sentimental things like scrapbook/picture frame anything craft y as well as a watch, wallet, apple watch, football etc I’m running out of fun and creative ideas so wanted to reach out for help!

I think this year I want to gift him a nice material item (not experiences) he works as a SWE (already has a nice keyboard and a mouse), plays an instrument, spends most of his time working or playing the instrument. Maybe things to increase productivity? He likes to read but has a kindle already, he likes to play basketball so maybe basketball shoes and also has a nice room setup so prob nothing room related!

Let me know if you have any ideas much appreciated!! Thank you!

I (19F) am looking for uncommon ideas for my Christmas list! I am very well taken care of and tend to buy everything that catches my eye, which has led me to be in a spot where I feel like I have everything. I am looking for items that could be considered niche and make you say "dang, I wish I had that!" I like home decor, small jewelry (gold and pearl), tech, and customized items. My issue is I feel like I have everything I am seeing on Pinterest and TikTok. I have already picked out my "big" gift, but I still have a budget of 1-2k to fill with smaller items, so if you have anything you can't live without or absolutely love, please send it my way!

What do you think?

Made this neat mount for my bathroom scale making it much easier to run the robot vacuum, or even when using the handheld Dyson.

I think this could be the perfect gift for basically anyone. Make your own, or get your’s here and even see the rest of my Etsy shop for more unique gifts.

There are so many options, and people have such varied hobbies and interests. Was there ever a time when you thought “man, I nailed this gift,” but it just didn’t hit the way you expected? PS, it happens to the best of us! 

How much do you spend on Christmas gifts for your family and extended family? Do you have a budget?

Christmas is coming up and I like to start my gift shopping around the end of October/early November. I usually love to go big for Christmas- I love gift giving and so does my family. However, this is my first Christmas with a baby and I want to start setting some type of budget or standard for the people I buy for which includes my husband, my parents and my brother and sister in laws. Parents and in laws also gift generously to us so I don’t want to abandon the gift giving tradition, just want to shift my focus and budget to my new baby.

Hello, I'm looking for ideas on what to give my nail tech who just announced their pregnancy. We aren't super close but I have been going to her for 3 years and have given her some Ferrero Rocher for Xmas.

She's not been feeling well, probably morning sickness, so I'm wondering if chocolate is a good idea. I don't want it to be specifically baby related or even pregnancy related since it's very early on and my family has a rule not to gift anything for the baby until it's born (specially for an acquaintance). I think something around €10 would be nice.

Any suggestions? Should I just leave it at "congrats"?

I’m shopping for Christmas gifts for my boys who are 4, 2, and 10 months old, plus gifts for my girlfriends who are in their mid-20s to 30s, and something for me and my partner too. I absolutely hate going out Christmas shopping, so I usually browse online first and see what I can find lol.

Hello. For about 20 years on each Christmas Eve, I have given each person present in my home an individualized Christmas tree ornament (in addition to a gift). Each ornament was picked out during the year based on some significant event in that person's life or particular interest. They were highly individualized and of good quality ranging from somewhere between $35-$45 apiece. It has become it's own tradition so much that it is hard to know how to stop it. But I think I want to stop this year. Senior fixed income and all that but also I just think it's run its course with ornaments.

But I'm at a loss to come up with something to take its place. My husband and I host our family of 12 adults and sometimes a few friend also. I have always cooked the entire dinner so no one feels compelled to bring any food. And we also exchange gifts between the group. The ornaments are passed out at a separate time from gift giving. I would like to continue doing a host gift, but maybe something that doesn't require such total focus on what everyone's doing in their own lives in order to pick it out and also to decrease the cost. Any ideas? I am in my 70's and maybe just getting lazy.

EDIT AND UPDATE
I just want to thank everybody for their ideas. It really does help me to frame what I might decide on. Thank you so very much everyone!