I have hated holiday shopping for years for one simple reason: Pretty much everyone, myself included, already has what they want (e.g. an iPod) or they want something too expensive (e.g. a big screen TV).

 

My mother, on the other hand, loves holiday shopping; probably because she is so good at it. Since I can remember, every year my mother has managed to get something for me that I loved but had absolutely no idea that I wanted. She not only does this for me, but for many others as well. She is the master.

 

Unfortunately, my mother has yet to share the secret with me. However this year I think I’ve managed to reverse engineer her process.

 

So how does one come up with gifts people will love? First, there are a few basic rules:

 

• The gift must be non-obvious. Last year my mom got me a bottle capper and glass bottles for my home brewery. Though it may seem like an obvious gift, it had – for some reason – never occurred to me to ditch the soda bottles and use real beer bottles.
• The gift must be fun. Two years ago I wanted nothing more than to master the art of software development, so all I asked for was a long list of books and software. My mom got me heelys instead. It was the perfect gift to introduce some silly into my otherwise too serious wish-list.
• The gift should be meaningful. Three years ago my mom got me a bunch of piano music with guitar accompaniment parts. I hadn’t played the piano for a long time and had never played the guitar, so I was a bit confused until my stepfather opened his gift: A guitar. He hadn’t played guitar in years. We opened the music books and played a couple of songs so poorly that they were hardly recognizable. We also had an amazingly good time.

Now that we have a few simple rules to go by, how does one find these unique, fun, meaningful gifts? Here’s how: Make a list of interesting and creative gifts without anyone in mind, then use free-association to determine who should get what.

 

I make it a point to carry a pen and mini-notebook wherever I go. I normally use it to track to-do items, but it’s good for just about anything requiring pen and paper. Any time I come across something especially interesting, I jot it down in the back of my notebook. If I forget my notebook, I email myself by sending a text message to my GMail account.

 

That’s it. That’s the technique.

 

It’s pretty simple, but I think it will end up being rather effective. In case you’re daunted by the task of writing things down, or you’re just plain lazy, I’ll go ahead and share my top ten favorite gift ideas:

 

#10 – Countertop Composter

 

For the windowsill gardener on your list or the environmentally obsessed. These handy little devices compost food to make small amounts of fertile soil, cut down on waste, and supposedly don’t stink at all.

 

#9 – Brush and Rinse Toothbrush

 

A nifty toothbrush design that makes rinsing after you brush your teeth even easier. A good stocking-stuffer for someone who appreciates a clever invention, or a kid who likes to play in the sink.

 

 

#8 – A Mac

 

Though I tend to be a PC guy, I’m not afraid to tell you that Macs are awesome. If you know someone that has a lot of computer problems, thinks they are too complicated or too ugly then get them a Mac. Macs “just work.” I love my iMac – I use it for most of my computing tasks (email, blogging, video editing, etc.) and only switch to my Windows PC to do programming (though I’m learning to program on the Mac).

 

#7 – Home Brewery

 

I started home-brewing beer in September of last year when I bought the Mr. Beer kit as a house-warming gift for myself. Since then I’ve made several batches that taste way better than grocery-store beer, and the beer has more alcohol too! Perfect for the man who once had a six pack but now has a keg.

 

#6- An e-commerce site

 

Simple e-commerce sites are easy to put together, fun to manage, and can even make you some money. If you know someone with a marketable hobby, get them setup with their own online shop! Don’t be daunted if you are non-technical; there are plenty of “one stop shops” that can do it for you, including myself.

 

#5 – Miracle Fruit

 

Miracle what? Fruit. Here’s how it works: You eat the fruit then, for the next 30 to 90 minutes, everything that’s bitter or sour tastes as sweet as candy. The novelty of this item make it a good gift for practically anyone.

 

 

#4 – A Freevo

 

Why get a TiVo when you can get a Freevo? Based on 100% free software, all you need to spring for is the hardware. Additionally, whoever is lucky enough to receive this gift will be spared the monthly expense. Complete instructions for building the system are online.

 

#3 – A Kindle

 

For the reading enthusiast (e.g. the guy with nothing but books on his list) I don’t think there’s a better gadget available. A reading enthusiast myself, I’ve already asked the internet for one. This thing has a paper-like display, lets you download books from anywhere, and is just plain cool.

 

#2 – An Indoor Garden Kit

 

I saw this on TV a few days ago and thought it was a great idea! A simple little hydroponic garden that let’s you grow herbs, lettuces, berries, and pretty much anything else you want with near complete automation. It’s good for people with limited (or no) yard space as well as gardening enthusiasts that want an easy way to seed or make cuttings of their plants.

 

 

#1 – XO Laptop

 

This amazing device is perfect for kids and nerdy adults. Way too many features to list, it only costs about $200. Through the give one, get one program you can not only get a good gift, but help a child receive an education. Not a bad idea.

 

What techniques do you have for finding the “perfect” gift? Would anyone out there care to share a list of their own?

 

1. 

   The indoor garden kit is just great. This is so perfect to my place since I am living in a pad with no lawn or anything to plant some veggies.

   Kris

   Comment by Indoor Garden — December 4, 2007 at 9:01 am

2. 

   what about an on/off mug? http://dvice.com/archives/2007/11/on_off_mug_may.php

   Comment by Abu — December 4, 2007 at 1:52 pm

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