What are the Best Gifts for an Adult Friend?

From indulgent to adventurous and from fun loving to posh, the residents of California are known for being multi-colored. Hence, when shopping for a present for a Californian, it is important to keep his or her personality and personal style in mind. Is the receiver the kind that appreciates gizmos and gadgets, or is he/she more into heartfelt keepsakes or gourmet foods? Once a gift type has been narrowed down to, it becomes really easy to find the right present for the person. There are several websites that offer customized gifts that any receiver will adore.

Before shopping for a gift, however, it’s important to gather important details about the person to make the present as personal as possible. Things that can be considered include:

    Reading habits

    Favorite magazines

    Favorite cuisine

    Favorite stores

Here are a few extremely popular gift ideas for a Californian friend:

Gift Baskets

An entire basket filled with gifts can be a fun way to show a friend how special he/she is. The key, however, is to make it personal by putting in some thought. Few ideas for creating a gift basket include:

Movie basket: a movie gift basket can comprise of the person’s favorite movies with snacks and popcorn. The basket can also be filled with knick knacks such as magazines, biography of actors, or tickets to a film’s premiere. Several different items related to movies can be added into the container.

Travel basket: some people love to travel so if the receiver is adventurous and wants to travel to different places (London or Paris, for example) fill up their basket with things they will require while traveling. Include books, a DVD guide, photo albums, foods from the area, small trinkets, and the like. The basket will offer them the vibe and will give them the much needed push to make the reservation to go.

Personal basket: there are several things that define a person, so center the basket on that individual’s personality. Take everything the receiver likes and neatly put in things that may represent those essential qualities. For instance, if the person enjoys golfing, put a pack of golf balls in the basket. If the person likes gardening, then seed packets and gardening gloves are apt. It pays to get creative.

Homemade Gifts

Handmade gifts certainly make a great present. Who won’t appreciate something that has been created especially for them from scratch? There are a variety of options to choose from. For instance, knitted scarf’s, customized frames, coasters, scrapbooks and the like.  Californians are also into gourmet homemade edibles as gifts. 

Premium Wines

A lot of people prefer to forego purity and taste where wine is concerned, if they can get three gallons of it in $5. That is why spending on a fine bottle of Californian wine can make for a fantastic gift.

Grooming gifts

Most people avoid spending too much money on personal grooming products such as bath gels, bath lotions, exotic fragrances, shampoos, and herbal oils. A basket full of luxury bathing goods can certainly be a hit as no one minds covering themselves up with expensive fragrances and lotions.

Silk sheets

Everyone, irrespective of their gender, believes that silk feels great. Hence, gifting a pair of silk sheets can show the recipient just how comfortable and lavish lying around can be.

Gift giving is an art that requires consideration and creativity. It does not just mean putting someone’s name on a card, but in fact it's about making it according to the preferences of the individual. By following the aforementioned suggestions one can certainly come up with something adorable for a Californian friend. California, in fact, boasts of several companies that offer creative ideas and baskets for gift giving.

Gifting Mistakes You Never Want to Make

Buying a gift for someone requires a lot of deliberation and smart thinking. To avoid becoming a laughing stock or the object of family gossip, it is important to keep the following mistakes in mind:

Re-gifting something:

Some people have this annoying habit of re-gifting things they themselves found awful.  Even worse, some leave the “to” and “from” card inside due to complacency. This certainly creates a very bad impression and is one of the biggest gifting mistakes people make.

Self Improvement gifts:

What some think as a great gift could initiate deep resentment for the others. Gifts that tend to target a specific short-coming of the recipient are normally not appreciated. Such presents may include:

•     Weight loss foods and supplements for overweight people
•     Coaching tapes for someone who is presently unemployed
•     A year’s supply of Nicorette for chain smokers.

A thoughtless gift:

Sending brownies to someone with a nut allergy is extremely thoughtless. The message one sends is “I don’t care to spend my time thinking of what your needs might be”.  Gifts must be bought with the recipient in mind.

Worthless Gadgets:

There are a variety of worthless gadgets in the market that one may be tempted into buying, especially for someone with no hobbies, talents or someone who does not seem to need a thing. Undoubtedly, such people are hard to buy for, but that does not mean its okay to send them a Mood-Detection Device. It is most certainly to end up in trash.  

Artwork:

It’s tricky to buy artwork as a gift for someone. Art is extremely subjective and may differ according to taste. Unless a person has specifically asked for a particular piece, it is best not to assume their preferences.

The Joke Gift:

Some may think that a whoopee cushion or a square-egg maker is perfect gift for a person who has everything. But not everyone has a sense of humor. A lot of people may find such things offending and may get agitated.

An appliance for a lover:

If the romance in a relationship has been buried, and the couple no longer cares about putting thought into each other’s gifts then they can go ahead and buy appliances such as, vacuum cleaners. Otherwise, beware. No one, no matter how practical they are, would be excited to find an appliance under the tree.

Partial gifts:

There are several people who do not mind sending off a gift that obligates the recipient in spending more money to use it. For instance, spa gift certificates for which the recipient has to pay the rest of the price is one of such examples.

Gym membership:

Gym memberships can be a great gift for those who are already toned and fit. For everyone else, these kinds of gifts are insulting and suggestive.

A Puppy or any other pet:

Pets are not toys. They die if they're abused, mishandled, or neglected. They are a huge responsibility and should not be obtained on a whim, or without any regard to the lifestyle and personality of the recipient. Hence, it’s best to stick with a stuffed toy instead unless the recipient is an ardent pet lover.

We all have good intentions in mind when buying gifts for family, friends, and co-workers, but at times we persuade ourselves to believe that something perfectly awful, is actually a great gift for a person on our list. The best way to avoid any such blunders is to stick to the recipient’s personal tastes and choices. Apart from this, there are plenty of good suggestions available over the internet for the sender to choose from.