A trowel, gardening experience or some seeds are better than just more reading material.”
If all else fails, ask them!
Asking people what they want for a gift isn’t seen as a good idea; gifts are meant to be thoughtful, if you just ask what they want and buy it, it shows a lack of creativity or thought.
However, if you’re running out of ideas and are struggling to come up with something they will like, it might be worth asking them what they want! Asking is a good idea as long as you don’t ask for the specific gift; just say “I’d love some input on gifts you might like.”
“People want to surprise and delight the recipient, but according to Dunn, ‘The better gift will be whatever it is they say they want.’ ” Galak agrees that the simplest way to do this is asking them directly, but most people don’t like when others ask for their preferences out of fear that it means they won’t enjoy the present.
Simple and thoughtful gifts are the best
At the end of the day, you shouldn’t be too worried about giving a bad gift. You’re not going to give someone a terrible gift all the time, so don’t worry about it!
People love getting gifts, and you can tell they are appreciative when someone takes the time to find out what those people like. But even if your gift isn’t as great as it could have been, that person will probably still appreciate how thoughtful of a gesture it was. And whenever someone is given bad or inappropriate things from their friends and family members (which happens more often than not), all they need to do is think about why this particular thing might be important enough for them — good or bad– in order to feel appreciated. It’s not about what the gift is, but that someone thought of them.
Plus, a bad gift will always be funny to talk about later on!