If you’ve ever perused a gift guide for a broad-strokes category like “mom,” “dad,” or “boyfriend” and thought, ‘Uhhhh, not the one I know!’ then you’ve surely realized that putting them together is an imperfect art form. There are simply too many variables at play to find thoughtful presents that will appeal to everyone, no matter their tastes, habits, and lifestyle. For instance: just about every dude-oriented gift guide ever created suggests some kind of cologne—but if I were to give a bottle of the latest eau de whatever to my brother or dad I’d probably be met with a confused stare and a “Thank you?”
So, even if most of us are quite happy to receive an expensive candle or a cozy new scarf, inevitably, that doesn’t apply to everyone. But does that mean we shouldn’t try? Of course not.
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The best kind of gifts appeal to some kind of personality quirk—something you know about your giftee that can’t be gleaned simply by looking at the most general categories they fall into (Midwestern mom, tech-y 30-something dude, etc.) Maybe they have a marathon of “Chopped” on whenever you’re around; maybe they’ve just moved in with their significant other and are tearing their hair out trying to compromise on decor.
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We put our heads together to identify a few of the real-life people we know that deserve extra-personal gifts this year—and hopefully you’ll notice a friend, family member, or colleague of your own in one of our, ahem, very specific types—shop them all in the slideshow below.
