I know how important it is to have cool gift ideas, especially during special occasions. I must admit I used to be one of those people who give “generic gifts”. You know, those gifts that screams “I did not really think about what to give you!” I used to shop for dozens of photo frames to send to each member of my family. Without even looking at their designs to see if my cousins or nephews would like my Christmas gifts, I wrap them up, get the list of names and begin writing on generic gift cards with the same note “Have a Merry Christmas”.

On Valentine’s Day a few years ago, my then-boyfriend has just landed a new job so he was very busy in the weeks before Valentine’s Day. I got the usual flowers and chocolates, but what I didn’t expect was his gift. He got me a photo album. He reasoned I love taking photos everytime my family would have a gathering that he thought it would be great to give me a photo album. Sure, without photo albums where would we keep our memories? But a photo album with a front cover featuring animals when I don’t even like animals too much? I couldn’t hide my disappointment. From then on I wished he would give better Valentine’s day gifts.

What comes around, goes around. Oh, it sure hit me hard. Since then I make it a point to pick gifts for my loved ones with much thought, care and love.

I started during our first year anniversary of being a couple, which was a several months after the photo album incident. I was determined to get the best gifts for him. Then came Christmas

and I wanted to give thoughtful presents to my family. I gave every gift item I purchased much thought. And in the end I was not disappointed. I was glad to see my family’s faces, delighted

with my gifts.

Does your boyfriend or husband love good wine? How about your brother, does he love having cool gadgets? Does you mom stay in the kitchen all day preparing sumptuous food for the family?

Once you know the giftee’s interests and hobbies, thinking of gift ideas will suddenly become so much easier. And of course, you can definitely be sure that he or she will love your present.

Always consider the occasion when picking the perfect gift. If your sister has a new job, she might appreciate a desk organizer in her favorite color. On the other hand if your cousin is an outdoorsman, you might want to consider giving him a sleeping bag with lots of cool functions. What do you do about a gadget geek brother? Oh, you’ll never be wrong when you give him new gadgets.

There’s always a new spin on things. If you don’t have time to shop, you can always get a photo frame. But make it special – get a digital photo frame! Or if you’d rather give a watch, then
make it a WiFi Watch. If you think you can only think about giving a shirt, then get a T-Qualizer shirt.

So these are just a few tips on how to pick the perfect gift for your loved one. Don’t make the same mistake as my boyfriend did for Valentine’s Day. Don’t make the same mistake I did with my family on Christmas.