what makes a gift a good one? it’s mostly the thought that went into the gift. it’s when your loved one opens up the present and realizes that you thought specifically about them. i love making gifts extra special and this is my thought process while i shop for Christmas gifts for my friends and family. above all though, Christmas is about family, fun, food, and love. gifts are a nice addition to all of this.

notes – use notes on your iPhone throughout the year to create a gift list. with notes, i can quickly capture something that’s been mentioned in a conversation to me. someone special mentioned that the zipper on their duffle bag was broken, and so for Hanukkah,  i bought them a new duffle bag. it’s also very easy to search for a specific note e.g, if you search for ‘gift’ it will pull up all the notes you have with a gift. 

likes – go through what they do in a day and what they might like. what excites them? how do they like to relax? do they just want to spend time together? write anything that comes to mind. what are their favorite things, colors, and preferences? this really helps when buying gifts. 

activities – what activities are they involved or interested in? if it’s skiing, do they need new ski accessories/ gear? you could buy a day pass for you guys to enjoy the mountains. if they enjoy working out, what kind of workouts do they do? if it’s yoga, pilates, cycle, or boxing you could buy them a session/class near their home. 

subscriptions – there are so many different subscriptions. do they have a dog? Barkbox.  do they love healthy food? Thrive Market.  do they love to workout? Melissa Wood Health. do they love to listen to books? Audible. do they love music? Apple Music. do they play video games? Xbox Live. 

brand – think of a brand that they already love. what else could you buy for them from that particular brand? go on the website and browse for more ideas.  

eGift cards – these would be a perfect gift for people that you are not physically seeing. this also saves time and money shipping a gift. although, some websites offer some gift options and you could ship directly to their house. the order will contain a gift box and gift message. 

hamper – are they practical? one of my favorite ways to give gifts is to make personalized hampers containing different types of little things inside that i think the person would like and use. this is not particularly exciting, so just make sure they would enjoy the practicality of it. 

personalize – a homemade card is the last step to making the gift really special. i think cards are the best thing ever. i love handwritten cards with a special note. if you want to make it even more heartfelt and sweet, you could print a picture of your favorite shared memory from the year. lastly, pick a wrapping paper based on their favorite thing.