Gift Giving Guy

To spark ideas for a thoughtful gift, start a gift dossier for a loved one. I use the term dossier to evoke a sense of espionage. You are secretly collecting information on someone who will never read the dossier file. After all, you want to keep an element of surprise to your gift giving. Start the dossier in a password-protected Word document. Or you can take the dossier online, using a free service such as Amazon’s Gift Organizer.

A great gift dossier contains:

• A list of interests for brainstorming gift ideas
• Observations of wants and needs and ever-so subtle gift hints
• Links to potential gifts
• A record of past gifts you given (would a variation on a previous gift fit?)

To create a gift dossier, begin your brainstorming and reconnaissance on:

• Tastes: Prefers no frills/down to earth? Or enjoys the finer things?
• Favorite activities and hobbies
• Top authors — the ones worth waiting in line for at a book signing
• Favorite music artists (look for several CDs or Mp3s owned), concerts attended
• Essential movies
• Inconveniences and complaints (could a gift solve the problem?)
• Favorite foods and drinks
• “I’ve always wanted to…”
• Indulgences and splurges