Today I want to talk about gifting. If you’re like me you have started your holiday shopping but still have a few people left on your list. My family and closest friends are sometimes the last people I cross off of my list. I want to make sure that I am gifting something special and meaningful. And that takes time!

There is an art to choosing a great gift and like any other purchase I make, it takes thought. I never impulse buy for myself so I don’t do that for my loved ones either. I start making mental notes the months leading up to the holidays about what my friends are loving. It’s as simple as listening to them and hearing what they might need and or noticing what they’re eyeing.

I’ll use Brian (my hubby) as a perfect example of this. I can ask him every day what he wants as a gift and his answer will always be “Nothing. I don’t need anything and if I want it, I’ll buy it!” which is true! But as I really started paying attention when were just hanging out watching TV or while we were out running errands, I realized that he was giving me unintentional clues all the time! Last year we re-watched the full series of Mad Men. I noticed that Brian kept talking about how awesome Don Draper’s sunglasses were in the show. So through some very thorough internet sloothing, I was able to find the brand and style and surprised Brian on Christmas with his own pair. It is one of his favorite gifts he’s ever gotten!

If you aren’t able to spend a lot of time with someone but want to get them something amazing, try putting yourself into their daily life. What do they do everyday? What type of clothing would they get the most wear out of? Do they travel? Think about specifics and start there. I have friends who love certain designers or stores so I know that’s always the best place to start. Buying a gift for someone is not about what you would want, it’s about them and who they are.

I have also been known to comb through all of the holiday catalogs I receive and mark things as I go through. We have all seen something that instantly reminds us of someone but we forget about it later when we need gift ideas. This way I can go back through my catalogs and remind myself again. Just be sure to keep all of the catalogs in a safe place so they don’t get thrown away too early.

Something I always look forward to every holiday season, once I have found the perfect gifts, is finding the perfect gift wrap. I love going that extra step in making a gift look just as special on the outside as what’s inside.

For the last couple of years I have gone with basic brown paper and added embellishments to bring the gifts alive. As you may have noticed through my blog, I love to create beautiful experiences. Opening Christmas presents is all part of the magic. Also, let’s be honest, they look great under the tree.

Do you have any tricks that you use to find the perfect gift? I’d also love to hear what type of wrapping theme you’re doing this year! Let me know in the comments. Hope you have a great weekend! xo Bryn

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