Great Gift Ideas for Someone Who Has It All

It happens every Christmas: After everyone’s gift has been bought and wrapped, I still haven’t come up with a gift for my father-in-law.

And it’s not because I don’t want to give him one. He’s a wonderful man; he’s just so darn rich (in my standards) it’s very hard to think of what else he could possibly need that he hasn’t already bought for himself and which I could afford to give him. Note: the key phrase is “which I could afford.”

So this year, I decided to research into the things we can give people who have it all. Let me share my list with you:

1. Food. Yep, this would be the safest. Everybody loves food. Cake is a safe and festive choice for the holidays. Wine is good too, but it might be difficult to know what kind of wine your giftee wants, and wine can be expensive as well. If your giftee isn’t a fan of sweets, try assorted nuts or fruits in a Christmas basket with a big red bow!

2. Books. This takes a little research, because you need to know the person’s taste in books – but that is usually solved by observing what they bring into the bathroom with them. If you really have no idea, popular magazines, like Reader’s Digest, would never fail you. A whole year’s subscription is good, but if your budget is like mine, one copy isn’t too shabby either.

One huge plus about giving books is that you can eventually borrow them and read them as well, especially if you’re giving to your own household.

3. Pictures. If you already have a lot of pictures of this person, compile them in an album and give them as a gift. If you can’t bear to part with those pictures, it’s a simple thing to have them recopied. If you don’t have all that many pictures yet, or you’re just about to take them, get one of those picture frames with multiple windows, put the pictures you have in there, and give that.

4. Something personalized. I don’t mean monogrammed, although that’s good too. But what I mean is something themed in one of the person’s favorite things. For instance, if that person loves pandas, you can give her a stuffed panda, and she’ll appreciate it even if she’s not all that enthusiastic about stuffed toys in general. Or if a person loves purple, you could give her a purple umbrella, and she’ll love it because it’s purple, even if umbrellas are the corniest things to give in most circumstances. Or you could give a pendant with that person’s birthstone. Personalized things. Those are always appreciated because it shows you took the time to research about that person you’re giving to.

5. An event. Give the person a spa gift certificate, or concert tickets. Or treat them out to a dinner date. In other words, give them the gift of a good time. That’s something they will keep long after other gifts have been locked up in the cupboard.

I hope this list has helped you get gift ideas for those people you love who simply have everything already. As for myself, I have to go wrap a book for my father-in-law. Happy holidays!