Got any ideas for that hard-to-buy-for person? The person that has everything and doesn't need or want anything? Unique or special ideas?

I need help. I've been buying for the same difficult people for years now and it's only getting progressively harder.

My sister-in-law loves chocolate. Last year,
I got her a 10 pound chocolate bar. She
never laughed so hard in her life. Took her
2 months to eat it, and that was with a little
help.

If they like to eat out, I do a gift card to a favorite restaurant. If they like movies, I get them certificates to local theaters that they can use anytime. Or, if I know they like coffee or tea, I'll make up a little basket with samples of coffee/tea, stirrers, biscotti, etc.

Personally I like gift certificates Lowes, Sheetz or restaurants they are much better than getting something you don't really want.

But it seems that when I mention gift certificates people say how impersonal they are.

I agree except sheetz. LOL

This year for a lot of people I am donating to a charity in their name. Not fun, especially, but most folks I know have everything they could want or need.

Other thoughts:

"Experience" gift certificates. Not quite as impersonal because they require a little thought. Things like sky-diving, dance classes, SCUBA lessons... I've received all those as a gift and loved them. Other ideas: theater tickets, Ticketmaster gift certificate, flying lessons.

Consumables: A lot of folks on my list are getting food of some kind.

A Hummer shakelight. They are awesome. (The kind of flashlight that doesn't need batteries... Sharper Image sells 'em.) Everyone I know hates it when they need a flashlight and theirs is dead. Also makes a good car flashlight.

Sheetz coffee, it's so good that's the only kind I drink even order it online at sheetz.com and two hot dogz with nacho cheese, mustard and onions makes a great lunch.

Guy or gal??

Gal : Gift Certificate to their favorite clothing store....
Guy: Home Depot or Lowe's gift card. Maybe Dicks Sporting Goods if they are into that kind of stuff...

Restaurant gift certificates are always great gifts as well. Who doesn't like to eat, lol!

What does this hard-to-buy-for person like to do?

Example: I love to dig in the dirt (garden), and I would buy myself a pair of pruners about every other year because that's about as long as they lasted. One year I told Hubby I wanted a pair of Felco pruners, and he bought them for me. Now, $58 for a pair of pruners is more than I would spend myself, but I've been using those pruners for more than 10 years now. He sharpens them every winter, and I'm good to go next spring. You can't do that with the cheapo pruners I was buying for myself....

If you give a gift card, dress it up to make it less impersonal. Put it in a purse or wallet, jewelry box, or my favorite....in a box inside a box inside a box!!!

If they truely have everything then they probably don't want anything,and glad not to have to "put it somewhere".Otherwise: what do they have that you can "add to"? AAA? Membership somewhere? if thats not what your looking for,how bout something silly. Those tiny little RC cars at Radio Shack,or some other kind of "toy".

as for the gift cetificates,yea they're ok.at least ya know the person felt they HAD to get ya SOMETHING and it was hanging right there so.....

and as for the charity in your name thing,I've gotten those and looked at the card and said"oh,ok,whoopee " and tossed the card.and they were always for some christian charity or something THAT person was concerned about.they never took the time to find out about my choices for charities or causes.

this whole YA GOTTA GET THEM SOMETHING frenzy is ridiculous.Nobody appreciates what they get anymore.It's just all so blahzay,and can we move on to the eating or the shopping or the game.
ok,I'll stop now. sorry.

For a lot of reasons(not the least of which is financial) we are scaling Christmas back this year. Trying to buy just for the kids in the family and even those are on a tight budget this year. I hate the whole "i gotta buy you something and you gotta buy me something" that Christmas has turned into.

We uses to do the Secret Santa thing with my brothers and sisters and I really liked it. You bought one gift and could actually put some thought into it. Not sure why we stopped but I keep bringing it up every year, and every year the women in the family insist on buying a small token gift for everyone and then it all disintegrates again.

Oh well, probably do a lot of gift certificates (to book stores for the kids- do they really need more toys?).

Have fun shopping and remember your manners in the stores!

That's true. This really only works if you talk to the person about it beforehand and ask what charity they prefer, unless you know they have a pet "cause."

It never works for me, though. Every year I ask folks to donate to our local animal shelter instead of buying me a gift, and only a handful of people ever do it.

Here's a cheap idea:

Magazine subscriptions. Just buy the current issue, wrap it up and tell 'em a subscription is on the way.

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[color=#CC0000]Hey! Bet they don't have satillite radio!!

I would be REALLY happy with a smokin' hot brunette and a couple of young blondes on the side.

Hey heather,have you decided on what you're getting this hard to buy for person yet?
just wondering. I was just thinking that maybe you could get them something like an airplane ride around the area. Or, I know theres a skydiving company up in the Chambersburg area. Maybe you could get them a dive! Ski lift tickets? One of those cute little pewter ornaments with a special date engraved on it.
I have no idea who it's for or the price range you're looking at,so these are just some I thought of the other day.
Good Luck

DH and I did that... it was awesome!

I've always wanted to try skydiving, but figured I'd probably chicken out over the jump point.

I was going to go with gift certificates until my mom said that this guy usually gets them and then doesn't use them. The thought of my money going to waste wasn't appealing.

When we draw names for Christmas, you're supposed to put some ideas on there to help the person that gets your name. He never puts anything down and never gives any verbal ideas either. So if he's that stubborn and unaccomodating, then he'll get what I damn well feel like getting him which is a bunch of junk. I mean, seriously, what else am I supposed to do?

I got him a snow globe with a golf tee and golf ball in it. The ball floats around and you have to try and get it on the tee. Then I got him some "Mike and Ike" candy because his name is Mike. A big tin of peanuts and a Johnny Cash greatest hits CD, (which he probably already has).

Gimme a break, right? I can only brainstorm so much. I really hope I don't get him again next year.

You'd be surprised... it takes less guts than you think. By the time you're up in the plane, it's pretty much do or die. LOL. DH and I got our first free fall certificate, which means we took an 8-hour course and pulled the cord ourselves, but you could always go tandem (the class is shorter and the cost is less), where you're strapped to an experienced diver.

I tell everyone I know that it's a worthwhile experience. I'd make it a regular hobby if it weren't for the cost.

My son went "skydiving" with a buddy to celebrate his birthday this fall. He's never done it before, so he had to go tandem. The story he told me afterwards had me on the floor, I was laughing so hard!

You see, my son is 6'4" tall, and the guy who he went tandem with was less than 6' tall. He was instructed to lift his legs up just before they hit the ground. But the guy who did the landing bent his knees (of course), so they skidded my son's backside about 30' across the field before the guy's feet actually touched the ground. He wasn't too impressed, and I don't think he'll be trying that experience again!