You want to give gifts that the recipients will love and use.  Here are some things to keep in mind as you choose your gifts:

• Buy people what they want, not what you think they should want.  Try to choose presents that will appeal to their taste, even if it isn’t something you’d choose for yourself.
• Don’t choose presents that torpedo someone’s goals.  If a friend is trying to lose weight, a cheese log or a box of candy is not a good plan.
• On the other hand, don’t use presents to try to transform someone into what you want them to be.  If you’ve been arguing with a spouse about eating at home more often, cooking lessons are not a good present choice.  Other presents in this category include gym memberships and cleaning appliances.
• The best presents are those that come from paying attention to hobbies, goals, dreams, and hopes.  If someone loves cooking, gourmet spices or specialized utensils are a good gift.  Someone who loves to try new things may like a gift certificate for craft classes or sports lessons or the like.  The real gift, of course, is that you noticed what matters to the recipient.
• For folks who already have lots of things, the best gifts are experiences and memories. These things don’t need to be stored and we can always use more.  Tickets for plays, family activities, museum memberships,etc. make good choices.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at some gift-giving challenges.