A guide to giving the perfect gift

By Eva McConnell, Staff Writer

The holidays are meant for a time of happiness, unity, and harmony, yet is considered to be the most stressful time of year with the panic of getting the perfect gift. If you’re short on money, ideas, or simply don’t know anything about your significant other, here are a few simple and thoughtful gifts to give someone.

To begin with your grandparents, it may be hard to find something that is mature yet interesting to their tastes. A blanket is a good way to go, with perhaps a movie that you believe you and your grandparents could enjoy together. Another idea is a book. Now it doesn’t mean you need to go out and get an encyclopedia, but an interesting picture book on art or the world can be a surprising gift.

Though you’ve known your parents since you were born, maybe your gift last year was a complete flop. Parents can be a possible difficulty to give a well meaning gift, but with some determination it is possible to get the right gift. For fathers, a nice or silly tie can do the trick, or for a more serious gift, a pair of nice shoes, or a gift card to a nice restaurant would work. A mother’s taste can vary, but kitchen appliances, bubble bath gifts, and jewelry are a good start. If your mom is more on the active side, workout clothes, a pair of cute tennis shoes, or a blender would work wonders. If you don’t have much money to buy separate gifts, a planned and paid for joint gift can give a special night out for your parents.

Love or hate them, siblings are still family and have been with you since the beginning. A nice and thoughtful present can range from toys and movies to clothing and sports. If your sibling is a fan of a television show or a sports team, a possibility is to gather all sorts of the merchandise. Shirts, blankets, hats, DVDs, etc… If none of these work, an iTunes card or CD of their favorite musician will do just fine.

Relationships with your lover can be tough when you don’t know what to get them, yet you want it to be special. Depending on the level of which your relationship is on or who you are with, some ideas may not be suitable. The first idea is to get them a silly gift or a cliche over-sized stuffed animal. If you want to start Valentine’s day early, flowers, chocolate and a sueprise to their favorite restaurant is a perfect idea. If you are still unsure on what to get your partner, perhaps listening in on what they need more of or what they have been wishing for lately. This can be a broken microwave to a trip to Disneyland, but hopefully in the end it doesn’t matter what gifts you give and receive, but that you and your partner are together and loving in each other’s presence.

If this article doesn’t contain or fulfill your needs on gift ideas, another part of this article will give more creative ideas for a good present.